By: Ryan Duey
Photos Courtesy of Milford Nature Center
The Milford Nature Center is hosting a special event on Saturday, January 24th, celebrating bald eagles and other birds of prey with Eagle Day. The event, running from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., will offer free guided bus tours around Milford Lake to observe bald eagles and other wildlife, followed by activities for all ages at the Nature Center.
Katlin Dunsing, Assistant Director, said they will offer four different bus tours, each lasting approximately an hour, plus much more.
“We’ll have bus tours starting at 9:00 am and departing every 30 minutes until 10.30 a.m. We’ll have four different bus tours going on.”
“We’re also going to have several live raptor programs throughout the day.”
“Inside the Nature Center, we will have a few crafts available, bird of prey artifacts and specimens for guests to check out, and then we’ll also have a few refreshments here and there. It should be a really fun day!”
Dunsing encourages visitors to bring binoculars and cameras for the tour; also, guests should dress for outdoor weather. While the numbers aren’t large, she did say there has been a constant group of bald eagles at the lake, but eagle sightings can’t be guaranteed; however, it will still be a great opportunity to learn about our national bird.
Bald eagles and other birds of prey are crucial to the Kansas ecosystem; they control rodents and insects, along with scavenging carcasses.
Dunsing talks about why lake and reservoir areas are popular for bald eagles in the winter.
“Fish do make up most of an eagle’s diet, and they have a lot of adaptations to be able to catch fish.”
“In the colder weather, they do congregate around lakes and open water just to look for food sources.”
“They’re normally pretty solitary birds, but when it does get cold out, it makes them a little bit more tolerant of being in social settings, especially when the water freezes over.”
“They’re looking for open water, and you see a lot of concentration around one area.”
No registration is required, and buses will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. More information on Eagle Day can be found on the Nature Center’s Facebook page.
