Tastes Like Migration

A couple of days ago, you probably feasted on a bird whose kind was long ago rejected as a national symbol. Today, hit the road for a glimpse of the high-flying predator that did earn iconic status. This time of year, bald eagles are often among the feathered friends hanging out at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, 100 miles north of Kansas City. Hundreds of thousands of birds winter at the refuge annually. “You see a lot of bald and golden eagles because they’re following the ducks and geese,” says Dave Patton of the Thomas Hart Benton Group of the Sierra Club, which heads to Squaw Creek every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to watch the birds. “They kind of pick up on the ones that don’t make it.” Patton recommends wearing warm clothes and a hat and bringing a thermos full of something “good and hot,” as well as binoculars, which won’t block the cold wind but will bring into focus the reason you came. The refuge is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. To get there, take Interstate 29 north to Exit 79, and then drive three miles west on Missouri Highway 159. Admission is free. Or make a $5 donation and carpool with the Sierra Club. To register, contact Patton at 816-461-6091 or davedahiker@yahoo.com. For more information on the refuge, see fws.gov/midwest/SquawCreek.

Sat., Nov. 24, 2007