According to Missouri report, wintering bald eagles plentiful

Warm weather and an abundance of waterfowl contributed to a strong showing during the midwinter eagle survey coordinated by the Missouri Department of Conservation in early January.

This year’s survey turned up 2,545 wintering bald eagles — 331 more than last year and 139 fewer than in 2002.

Eagles’ preferred foods include dead fish and waterfowl, so they tend to stay near water year-round. In the winter, they migrate as far south as necessary to find open water.

Missouri’s eagle numbers are smaller in mild winters, when eagles stay farther north, and in severe winters, when the state’s lakes and streams freeze over, pushing the birds farther south.

If a downward trend develops in the surveys, the state agency will seek to learn the causes and act to remedy them. For now, though, everything seems to be going smoothly for eagles.

Nearly 170 state employees took part in the survey.