Top Ten Places to See Bald Eagles with Your Binoculars

The 10 Best Refuges to See Bald Eagles with Your Binoculars

A threatened species whose numbers are improving and our national icon, these birds of prey are simply amazing. There are many great places across the country where people can view these large birds. Although eagles live in the continental United States, Alaska, with about 50,000 eagles, has the most. Here are the top ten national wildlife refuges to see:

1. Klamath Basin Refuges – Tulelake, CA. it hosts the largest wintering concentration in the lower 48 states, often up to 1000 birds. Every year during the month of November, the birds begin to appear en masse at their wintering grounds in the Klamath Basin.
2. Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge – Basom, New York, Named for the Iroquois Indians, eagle watching is one of the refuge’s most popular activities.
3. Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge – Woodbridge, VA. On the banks of the Potomac River, lies an 8,000-acre peninsula and home to the first refuge established specifically for the protection of bald eagles.
4. Patuxent Research Shelter – Laurel, M.D. it is the only refuge in the nation established to support wildlife research. Home to a great diversity of wildlife, the 12,750-acre refuge is managed to protect native and migratory bird species.
5. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge – Cambridge, M.D. Eagles are here in droves from fall through summer, taking advantage of the combination of swamps, wooded uplands, and some farmland.
6. Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge – Crystal River, Florida From October to April, many bald eagles winter and nest on the banks of the Chassahowitzka River. In fact, visitors will often be greeted by a pair of bald eagles in a tree at the refuge entrance.
7. DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge – Missouri Valley, IA, This refuge has become an important wintering ground for up to 120 bald eagles.
8. Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge – Mound City, MO, Visitors can attend Bald Eagle Days at the refuge this year on December 1 and 2 with live eagle shows and guided tours of the refuge’s 2-300 bald eagles.
9. Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge – Zimmerman, Minnesota. it is a particularly good place to see eagles; an extensive network of shallow lakes that freeze over and run out of oxygen in the winter mean a seasonal kill of fish that provide easy feeding in the spring, when groups of eagles descend to feed their fill.
10. Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge – Ridgefield, Wash., Ridgefield is home to four nesting pairs of bald eagles, but dozens more arrive in winter, feeding on waterfowl and fish from the nearby Columbia River.

Bald eagles are just amazing. The phrase “eagle eye” describes their highly developed visual ability, which can spot a moving rabbit nearly a mile away. An eagle, flying at 1,000 feet, can spot prey over almost 3 square miles. With a wingspan of six to eight feet, these raptors can fly at around 65 miles per hour and soar to altitudes of 10,000 feet, staying airborne for hours using natural wind currents and thermal updrafts. I encourage you to grab your binoculars and visit one or more of these places that may be ‘in your neighborhood’ so you too can see this amazing raptor.