Bald is beautiful for wildlife watchers of Northwest Arkansas during the fall and winter.
After leaves turn red or gold and fall off for winter, the white heads of northern bald eagles shine from lofty waterside perches around the region's lakes and along its streams.
The majestic birds from Wisconsin, Minnesota and other northern states usually begin arriving in mid-October and gradually increase in November and December. By January, they number in the hundreds throughout the region, where they can hunt and fish around waters that remain mostly free of ice during the winter.
Beaver Lake, with more than 400 miles of shoreline and many feeder creeks, is the epicenter of wintering eagles. As many as 289 of the birds have been counted in a single day during annual population surveys conducted by ranger Alan Bland with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The high numbers make the lake the focus of eagle-watching outings, with public, on-the-water tours available for area residents.
The best known tours are aboard the Belle of the Ozarks, a large, paddlewheel-style boat at Starkey Park on the east end of the lake near the dam (800-552-3803). Formerly held in January, the tours will be Oct. 16-18 this year, with the two-hour trip leaving daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
For the first time, Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area will hold eagle-viewing tours aboard a recently purchased pontoon boat with room for 20 passengers. Located on Arkansas 12 about 12 miles east of Rogers, the park will offer tours in December and January with a park naturalist at the helm to take passengers into quiet, secluded coves preferred by perching eagles.
Along with the tours, the park also will offer special eagle programs at its new, state-of-the-art visitor center (479-789-5000).
Besides the public tours, many area residents enjoy viewing eagles aboard their own boats or one rented from one of the eight marinas around the lake. Just remember not to disturb the birds - which are federally protected and fly back north by March to begin their nesting season.
Insider Tips
- Bundle up on the boat tours. January winds whip across the water at frigid temperatures.
- Make sure you bring good binoculars. Most of the birds are pretty shy.
- Indian Creek near Indian Creek Park on the north side of Beaver Lake is one of the favorite spots for seeing a dozen or more eagles.
- One of the most convenient places to see the birds is from the Eagle Watch Nature Trail on SWEPCO Lake near Gentry. The trail starts at a parking area on Arkansas 12 about a mile west of U.S. 59 and crosses a meadow for a quarter-mile to a pavilion overlooking a cove where eagles can be seen perching mornings and evenings or soaring overhead during the day.
- An adventuresome way to get close to bald eagles is from a personal or rented canoe or kayak paddled along streams like the Kings River and War Eagle Creek. One of the best floats is the White River below Beaver Dam, where the eagles are lured by the presence of rainbow trout. These eagles are accustomed to the presence of fishermen and are apt to allow paddlers to get close. Just don't harass them or try to spook them into flight.
- Close-up views of eagles also can be had from walking trails encircling the smaller public lakes of the region. For the past two winters, eagles have been regularly spotted from trails around Lake Bella Vista in Bentonville, Lake Atalanta in Rogers and Lake Fayetteville.
- The ubiquitous turkey vultures can be easily be mistaken for eagles, but there is an easy way to tell the difference by watching their wings in flight. The wings of the vultures are set in a "V" shape, while eagles' wings are flat and straight. While the vultures are truly bald, the white, shining heads of mature eagles also are a giveaway.
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