Eagles Return To Familiar Location In Western Mills County
Eagles soar over an area in western Mills County on Thursday. (Courtesy - Gary Giaffglione)
Eagles search for food Thursday morning at a borrow-pit lake in western Mills County. (Courtesy-Jim Deitchler)
Dozens of bald eagles flocked to a borrow-pit lake in western Mills County last week. (Courtesy-Gary Giaffoglione)
It’s a spectacle of nature that never gets old.
Dozens of bald eagles returned to the Missouri River valley and western Mills County last week, attracting the attention of Interstate 29 motorists and local residents.
On Friday, the eagles were flocking over and near a borrow-pit lake west of Pacific Junction and I-29 near Mile Marker 33. Many of the eagles could be seen looking for a bite to eat in the water and taking a break in nearby grasslands and trees.
Eagles aren’t necessarily known for being migratory birds, but over the past 15 years, the western Mills County location has attracted eagles on several occasions.
The largest gathering of eagles at the location took place in the winter of 2011, when hundreds of eagles flocked to the lake and surrounding area.
In 2017, a high number of eagles were spotted in late January on both the Iowa and Nebraska sides of the Missouri River near the Highway 34 bridge.
News of the eagles’ return last week began spreading on social media, attracting photographers, nature lovers and curious onlookers to the site.