Republic-Times photographer Judy Brinkmann spotted this convocation of eagles perched in a tree at the City Lakes in Waterloo over the weekend.

With a wingspan of almost eight feet and a white feathered head that lends to its name, the American Bald Eagle is a majestic site for hobbyists alike.

Bald eagles live in Canada and Alaska and are scattered throughout the lower 48 states. Even Illinois, including Monroe County, has its share of eagles that migrate to the state for winter.

Retired Waterloo teacher Larry Hood is one of many in the area who enjoys this spectacle.

“That was unheard of 20 years ago. To have eagles here in the county, right over City Lakes (in Waterloo), is really cool,” Hood said of his viewing experiences throughout the years.

Hood has been to Lakeview Park this season to see them in the woods to the east of the park, as well as diving down to the surface of the water for food.

“I don’t think they’re nesting because I didn’t see anything like that,” he observed.

Republic-Times photographer Judy Brinkmann of Waterloo also took her camera over to the City Lakes over the weekend, capturing a convocation of eagles in one of the trees over the water.

Paul Feldker of Waterloo captured this scene of an eagle coming in for a landing in a tree off Levee Road near Harrisonville.

“It’s really cool seeing the eagles at Lakeview Park just across from my father-in-law’s house,” she noted. “It was this time last year that we saw dozens. I spotted 20 in one tree.”

Over the years, Brinkmann has also taken a trip down Levee Road to spot an eagle’s nest below Eagle Cliff Cemetery in Waterloo.

“It’s increasing from what I’ve seen,” Brinkmann said of the eagle population in the county…>>>

Read the rest of the story in the January 17, 2018,  issue of the Republic-Times.

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