11/20/2023
EAGLE 101: WHO IS MOVING WHERE DURING EAGLE MIGRATION?
Earlier this week we received a question from someone in Illinois asking about Bald Eagles potentially moving in search of food for the winter season. It is still unseasonably mild this far into November but, in general, some Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles do migrate during the winter months. So today, let's quickly review who may be on the move and where they are moving to.
Bald Eagles do migrate but not in the same way that songbirds and waterfowl do. Bald Eagle migration is dependent on conditions in their home territory and whether or not they still have access to a food source during the winter months. If you are a Bald Eagle in northern areas such as Canada or even northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, once winter freezes lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, finding food, particularly fish, becomes harder. For this reason, many Bald Eagles from those locations do move south but only as far as required to find food. This is what brings so many Bald Eagles into the Upper Mississippi River during the winter. However, the milder the winter, the fewer eagles that move south.
Southern Bald Eagles generally have no reason to migrate as conditions are mild enough that they have easy access to fish year-round.
Golden Eagles, which are generally found in the western half of North America are a mix. Golden Eagles in the Rockies and the western part of the continent may move somewhat during the winter, but more or less stay in their home ranges. However, Golden Eagles that nest in the northern territories of Canada (like Nunavut and the Northwest Territories) do migrate south into a wide swathe of the eastern United States. They are nesting on the tundra just below the Arctic Circle and winter conditions are prohibitive, hence their migration. This migration is continuing to be studied by the Golden Eagle Project and other research programs to gain a better understanding of this eagle population and their migration behaviors.
And there you have it! Photo by Robert Dreeszen. 🦅❄️😯😃👍👍
