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A bald eagle loses grasp of its catch on the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022. Drawn to unfrozen stretches of river the eagles can be seen by the dozens on the Mississippi River in January and February, fishing for their meals and perching in bare trees.
A bald eagle loses grasp of its catch on the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022. Drawn to unfrozen stretches of river the eagles can be seen by the dozens on the Mississippi River in January and February, fishing for their meals and perching in bare trees.
Dozens of bald eagles roost on the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022.
Dozens of bald eagles roost on the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022.
A bald eagle transfers a fish from it's talons to it's beak mid-flight over the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022.
A bald eagle transfers a fish from it’s talons to it’s beak mid-flight over the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022.
A bald eagle flies through early morning fog near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022.
A bald eagle flies through early morning fog near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022.
Bald eagles spar over a fish on the Mississippi River near Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 20, 2022. “Lock and Dam 16, 17 and 18 are seeing numbers in the hundreds,” said Bailey Anderegg, a park ranger for the Army Corps of Engineers.
A bald eagle perches near the Mississippi River at Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 20, 2022. By 1963, there were only 417 known nesting pairs of bald eagles in the low 48 states, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, and 10 years later the birds were classified as endangered throughout most of the country. But the eagles have bounced back, with the aid of federal law prohibiting eagle hunting and a ban on DDT. There are now an estimated 316,700 bald eagles in the lower 48 states, and the birds are a fairly common sight in the Chicago area.
A bald eagle perches near the Mississippi River at Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 20, 2022. By 1963, there were only 417 known nesting pairs of bald eagles in the low 48 states, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, and 10 years later the birds were classified as endangered throughout most of the country. But the eagles have bounced back, with the aid of federal law prohibiting eagle hunting and a ban on DDT. There are now an estimated 316,700 bald eagles in the lower 48 states, and the birds are a fairly common sight in the Chicago area.
A bald eagle fishes on the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022.
A bald eagle fishes on the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 21, 2022.
A bald eagle clutches a fish as it flies along the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois.
A bald eagle clutches a fish as it flies along the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois.
A bald eagle fishes on the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois.
A bald eagle fishes on the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois.
A group of bald eagles fish along the Mississippi River near Gladstone, Illinois.
A group of bald eagles fish along the Mississippi River near Gladstone, Illinois.
A juvenile bald eagle flies over the Mississippi River near Gladstone, Illinois.
A juvenile bald eagle flies over the Mississippi River near Gladstone, Illinois.
A bald eagles clutches a fish over the Mississippi River on Jan. 20, 2022.
A bald eagles clutches a fish over the Mississippi River on Jan. 20, 2022.
A bald eagle flies through trees near Gladstone, Illinois.
A bald eagle flies through trees near Gladstone, Illinois.
Two juvenile bald eagles fly near Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 20, 2022.
Two juvenile bald eagles fly near Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois on Jan. 20, 2022.