A bald eagle looks out from a perch in a large tree in the Rolling Prairie area, according to Patrick Meehan, who has spotted and photographed the bird multiple times. Eagles have at least six known nesting sites in La Porte County. Photo provided by Patrick Meehan
A bald eagle looks out from a perch in a large tree in the Rolling Prairie area, according to Patrick Meehan, who has spotted and photographed the bird multiple times. Eagles have at least six known nesting sites in La Porte County. Photo provided by Patrick Meehan
Indiana DNR hosting bald eagle events

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will be hosting several programs in the coming days and weeks to give residents a close-up view of bald eagles.

Turkey Run State Park will host its annual Eagles in Flight weekend Friday through Sunday, Jan. 28-30. Visitors can see live bald eagles and other birds of prey, and learn about their behavior.

The events also include songbird banding, eagle nest driving tours and an owl prowl. There will be an online auction supported by the Friends of Turkey Run and Shades State Parks at 32auctions.com/EIF22 that ends at 7:15 p.m. ET Saturday. Bidders do not need to attend, and all proceeds support the parks.

Register for the event at eagles_in_flight_2022.eventbrite.com. Turkey Run State Park is at 8121 East Park Rd. in Marshall.

Monroe Lake’s annual Eagles over Monroe event continues through Sunday, and includes a mix of in-person programs and hikes, self-guided tours and scavenger hunts, and a virtual presentation.

A free self-guided driving tour and scavenger hunt will be available, with an online map to guide you to the lake’s best spots for eagle viewing. The scavenger hunt, with clues hidden at viewing locations, can be completed along the way for a chance to win a State Parks annual entrance permit.

For those who prefer help looking for eagles, sunset eagle watches will be offered. Volunteers will have spotting scopes set up, and hot cocoa will be available if you bring a travel mug. They will be held between 5 and 6 p.m. (ET) Friday at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office on Monroe Dam Court, and on Saturday at Paynetown State Recreation Area.

Monroe Lake interpretive naturalist Jill Vance will offer a virtual presentation on the history of the bald eagle reintroduction program in Indiana. “Return of the Bald Eagle” will be recorded for those unable to watch live.

For more information, visit bit.ly/eaglesovermonroe2022.

Afternoon eagle watches will be offered Feb. 5, 12, and 19 at Salamonie Lake through DNR’s Upper Wabash Interpretive Services. Participants must call and speak to UWIS staff to register and choose a date and time when they will meet at the Salamonie Lake Nature Center. A call-in platform will be used for the audio guided caravan, and participants should have a cellphone to access the call-in platform.

Bring binoculars, cameras, and spotting scopes. Shared visual aids will also be available. All caravan trips will include a stop to view a nesting site, a stop to view a feeding area, and will end near dark at a bald eagle roosting area near Mississinewa Lake. There will be some walking on flat surfaces.

Participants will be able to warm up with hot food and drink items for a freewill donation at the roost site. For safety, Frances Slocum Road between State Road 124 and CR-550E in Miami County will be closed.

For more information and to register, call 260-468-2127.
La PORTE — If you thought you saw a bald eagle soaring above Pine Lake in La Porte or over the Kankakee River in southern La Porte County, your eyes are not deceiving you.

The national bird of the United States, once a federal- and state-endangered species, has staged a remarkable recovery and can now be seen across the country, including Northwest Indiana.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, there are at least six known bald eagle nesting sites in La Porte County – one near the La Porte lakes, and five along the Kankakee River.

Recent sightings near Rolling Prairie show there may be even more nests in the area, as the last comprehensive DNR nesting survey was in 2020.

Found mostly along rivers and other large bodies of water, mid-winter bald eagle surveys conducted from 1979-2020 showed a dramatic increase in wintering birds. Bald eagles nested in Indiana until the 1890s, according to the DNR, and small numbers wintered in the state.

In 2015, an estimated 200-250 eagle nests were reported; and by 2020, more than 350 nests were known.

Bald eagles typically nest in forested areas near water, avoiding heavily developed areas when possible, according to the DNR. For perching, they prefer tall, mature trees that give a wide view of the surrounding area. In winter, they may be found in dry, open uplands if open water is near for fishing.

In 1985, the Indiana Nongame & Endangered Wildlife Program began the Bald Eagle Reintroduction Program. Seventy-three eaglets (7-8 weeks old) were obtained from Wisconsin and Alaska from 1985-89 and brought to Indiana.

They were placed in a 25-foot nest tower in a secluded bay on Lake Monroe in central Indiana. The birds were monitored and fed daily until they were old enough to fly at 11-12 weeks.

Since then, the eagle population has continued to expand. In 2020, there were more than 350 nesting territories in Indiana, including those in La Porte County. There were also five in or near Lake County – along the Kankekee River; two in Porter County, including one along the river; and four in St. Joseph County, one near the Michigan state line and three near the river.

Adult bald eagles are unmistakable with their white feathered heads and tails, and dark brown bodies and wings. The legs and beaks are bright yellow. Males and females have identical colorings.

Immature eagles have mostly dark heads and bodies with white mottling throughout. Young birds gain adult plumage at 4-5 years of age.

The majestic birds are larger than most raptors. Males weigh 8-9 pounds; while females weigh 10-14 pounds. They have a wingspan of 6.5-7 feet and a body length from 28-38 inches.

Bald eagles can fly up to 40 mph during normal flight, but can reach speeds of 100 mph when diving for prey.

In flight, they hold their large broad wings flat with slow, powerful wingbeats. They also have a noticeable, unusual flight behavior of banking and flapping their wings vigorously while vertical.

The birds can live up to 38 years in the wild.

Their unmistakable nests are huge – largest of any North American bird – at 5-6 feet wide and 2 feet deep.

Adult eagles do not begin to nest until they are 4-5 years old. The birds mate for life and return each year to the same location to nest and breed, selecting nest sites close to where they were raised.

The primary diet for bald eagles is fish, which are taken near the water’s surface, then carried to a tree or perch and consumed. Eagles also take waterfowl, rabbits, squirrels and other small mammals up to one pound. They have excellent eyesight and can locate prey up to 2 miles away.

In Indiana, the bald eagle project was the first endangered species restoration project initiated by the Indiana Nongame & Endangered Wildlife Program.

The first successful bald eagle nests in this century occurred in 1991 at Monroe Lake and Cagles Mill Lake. The state’s last successful nest before then was in 1897. Loss of habitat and decreased reproduction due to pesticides, such as DDT, contributed to their disappearance.

Bald eagle nesting was monitored and young eagles banded with leg identification tags to help track their movements. The number of nesting territories continues to increase.

Bald eagles did so well, their conservation status was changed from state-endangered to “species of special concern” in 2008, and comprehensive surveys were discontinued after 2010.

In 2020, with more than 350 nesting territories in Indiana, they were removed from the special concern list.

Although no longer listed, they are protected by other state and federal laws, including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Anyone who spots an eagle nest is asked to report it to the DNR at dfw@dnr.IN.gov. New nest locations and status updates to known nests are collected with the help of citizen scientists, who report to DNR biologists.

As a reminder, observe nests from a distance of 330 feet, roughly the length of a football field.

One amazing story from the program involved Bald Eagle C43, one of the 73 eaglets first brought to Indiana in 1985. C43 was spotted around Monroe Lake in late May 2015 and has been seen intermittently since then.

Records state that C43 was removed from a nest in Whitestone Harbor, Alaska, on July 22, 1988, making her 30 years old at the time of her last sighting in 2018, arguably one of the state’s oldest bald eagles.

“C43 is a powerful reminder of the tireless and determined effort to recover this species, and a symbol of hope for our state’s endangered species,” a statement from the DNR said.
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