REELFOOT RESIDENT
TIPTONVILLE — A bald eagle is seen flying toward its nest on the southern shore of Reelfoot Lake on Wednesday. Reelfoot Lake, 100 miles north of Memphis, is one of the largest nesting areas for bald eagles in North America outside Alaska. It is home to 35 nesting pairs of bald eagles. “This is one of the largest winter wintering grounds for eagles outside of Alaska,” said Jerry Hall, a ranger at Reelfoot Lake State Park. “Our population could as much as double or triple depending on how much cold weather we get to push the birds down for the winter months.” Eagle watching at Reelfoot is best in January and February when the leaves are off the trees and the birds are actively feeding around their nests, Hall said of the many nests that are visible from the roads around Reelfoot. Reelfoot Lake State Park runs along the Mississippi Flyway, a bird migration route that follows the Mississippi River, which, in part, is why so many eagles make Reelfoot their home. “Reelfoot has done so well because it has massive amounts of fish and waterfowl,” Hall said. “Those are the two main foods for bald eagles. In the winter months, they’re waterfowl hunters.” Most eagle eggs will hatch by early March, and the young will grow to be as large as their parents in just three to four months. To recognize them as a bald eagle with their telltale white feathers and yellow beaks will take another five years, when the birds fully mature.