A Sunday trip out to Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge for Eagle Days found much clearer skies than the last visit out at the first of this year. Temperatures were much warmer than that journey as well, around °C. The eagles proved as sparse as the clouds too.
An opportunity to admire these raptors up close proved the best viewing. The first introduced is shown above. The Harpy is biggest and the baddest of the group. It ranges as far south from Mexico into Argentina and have held the honor of an Endangered listing since 1976.
Over the last couple of years, the cold of late December stands more successful in the field. The ongoing drought, which created dry, shallow conditions at the site, likely contributed to the scarcity of waterfowl observed at this time. Hardly any were observable from closer than a half kilometer, at best.
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Further Reading
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
US Fish and Wildlife Service
