Wintertime along the Mississippi River corridor in Iowa means just one thing to any self-respecting nature photographer....bald eagles! An estimated 5,000 eagles overwinter along the Mississippi River between St. Paul, MN down through Missouri. The majority of these eagles spend their time at the various locks and dams in the state of Iowa. I'd been waiting all winter to hear a good report (or any report, for that matter) concerning eagle activity from our neighboring state to the south. Finally, after a recent cold snap, I heard the news...lock and dam 18 near Burlington, IA was brimming with activity. The next day I hopped into the truck and made the six hour drive to see just how accurate the report was. Thank goodness, it was dead on!! I arrived to see hundreds upon hundreds of eagles buzzing with excitement in the immediate vicinity of the dam. They were putting on aerial displays, plucking fish from the water, lounging on the ice, roosting in the trees...you name it, they were doing it! It was a sight I've never witnessed before and will be forever engrained in my memory. Below are my photographic remembrances of the cold, sunny winter's day that I spent communing with these magnificent birds.

UPDATE: I had so much fun during my first visit, I decided to return the following weekend. I've added images from that weekend to the bottom of the gallery.

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