A warmer winter could disrupt yearly trips to watch large group of bald eagles. Wisconsin's bald eagles traditionally gather along major rivers during the winter months, so they can stay near food. However, recent warm weather leaves more open water available to them. As a result, the Department of Natural Resources says the bald eagle population is more spread out this time of year than it normally is.
Still, DNR avian ecologist Pat Manthey says those attending eagle-watching events along the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers in the coming months will still have plenty of scenery. She says they just may not see gatherings of hundreds of bald eagles at a time.
Manthey says the warmer winter weather may be better for Wisconsin's bald eagles anyway because it means there's less competition for food. The DNR estimates there are over 1,000 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the state.