Want to see a bald eagle?

Today you're hearing from Sarah Nystrom, the
eagle coordinator for our region.

While many people think fall and spring migration or summer nesting season is prime time to spot this iconic bird, I suggest heading out now in search of this amazing experience.

Bald eagles, with their distinctive white head and dark body, can be easier to see in winter. Other birds can be harder to identify in their drab plumage.

Not to mention, it’s National Bald Eagle Watch Month! 

During the winter months, bald eagles tend to gather in areas that have a good food supply. A hungry eagle will eat just about anything that they can get their talons on. Fish are the majority of their diet when there is open water, but they will also prey on ducks and geese. Carrion, including deer carcasses, can be easier to find in the winter. Bald eagles may fly dozens of miles from one food source to another in winter, so a consistent source of food can be very important.

Hydrilla closes in on the Great Lakes

The first collection of Hydrilla verticillata from
Tonawanda Creek. Credit: USFWS

You don’t necessarily need to be looking for an aquatic invasive species to find it. Sometimes it appears when you least expect it.

That’s exactly what happened in early September, when Lower Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office staff discovered Hydrilla verticillata, a highly invasive aquatic plant, in the New York State Canal System in Tonawanda, N.Y. The location was literally at the base of a boat ramp, a highly visible area that should lend itself to early discovery.

Nonetheless, it apparently went unnoticed for some time, hiding within the abundant native plants, particularly Canadian/common waterweed, a native aquatic plant similar in appearance. The distinction between the two is important, as hydrilla crowds out waterweeds and other essential plants. It slows water flow and can clog lakes and rivers enough to even eliminate swimming or boating.