January events organized to educate participants about national symbol
PRATT -- When bald eagles visit Kansas in the winter, avid and novice bird watchers are in hot pursuit. Bald eagles typically overwinter in the Sunflower State during January and February, providing an opportunity to observe one of the nation's most spectacular birds. To improve opportunities to view bald eagles, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) -- in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and local Audubon chapters -- has scheduled a number of "Eagle Days" across the state.

Bald eagles may be observed in their native habitat at Tuttle Creek Reservoir, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled an Eagle Day for Saturday, Jan. 3, beginning at 9 a.m. The event will start at the Manhattan Fire Station, 2000 Denison Avenue in Manhattan. The program is free to the public. Dan Mulhern, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will offer a short presentation on the nesting habits of bald eagles in Kansas. Pat Silovsky, director of KDWP's Milford Nature Center near Junction City, will then show a live bald eagle and discuss eagles and other raptors.

Following these presentations, members of the Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society will lead a bus tour through areas downstream of Tuttle Creek Dam to view eagles in the wild. All participants should dress for cold weather, and everyone should bring binoculars, spotting scopes, and cameras.

For more information on Tuttle Creek Eagle Days, contact the Corps of Engineers office, 785-539-8511.

Similar Eagle Days events are scheduled at the following locations:

• F.L. Schlagle Library on Wyandotte Lake on Jan. 17, phone 913-299-2384;
• Milford Reservoir on Jan. 17-18, phone 785-238-5714;
• Lawrence Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive in Lawrence, on Jan. 25, phone 785-843-7665; and
• Chaplin Nature Center, 27814 27th Drive in Arkansas City, phone 316-442-4233.

Other Eagle Days may be scheduled in the near future. For more information, contact the nearest office of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
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