Bald eagle sightings in the Fox River Valley have increased with the cold snap, and people are heading to the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin to try to spot the big birds.
“We’ve been seeing eagles near here since sometime in November, but not consistently until the recent cold,” library public relations and development chief Denise Raleigh said.
Audubon Society board member Bob Andrini said bald eagle numbers seem to be up this winter. During a bird count last weekend, participants spotted 40 eagles from Elgin and points north along the Fox, and another 25 in from south of Elgin to the St. Charles-Batavia-Geneva area.
Library graphic design assistant Nancy Valladares said her office faces north, which offers her a good view of eagles along the river this time of year. She keeps a camera handy to take photos, which she posts to the library Facebook page.
“Tuesday was amazing. I had someone in my office, and we saw a big guy flying back and forth. He was huge,” said library Director of Communications and Visual Arts Liz Clemmons.
Raleigh said the library recently displayed a model “Eddie the Eagle” in the lobby to remind people that there are a couple pairs of binoculars for use to scan the trees along the riverbank. The library has been noticing quite a few eagles along the river for at least six winters, Raleigh said, and the birds have been drawing people to the library, where the Fox River Room on the second floor offers a panoramic view.
Raleigh joked that the eagles hang out nearby because “they love the library and see all the people enjoying the space.” Clemens explained, though, that the library learned from the Kane County chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society that the bald eagles are in the area because they have come from spots along river systems further north and are seeking open water in the hopes of scavenging prey or catching fish.
Clemmons said the pesticide DDT had almost wiped out the species by causing the birds’ eggshells to be too soft. That led to the bald eagles crushing their own offspring while nesting.
“Their numbers across the country have increased since the DDT ban (put in place in 1972),” Clemmons said.
According to the state’s “Save Our Eagles” web page, Illinois now has a growing eagle population, with at least 3,100 bald eagles that winter each year in at least 27 counties. Illinois is home to the largest population of wintering bald eagles in the continental United States, according to information on the site.
Dee Hudson, a teacher at Algonquin Middle School who also works part-time at an East Dundee riverfront pub said she heard that as many as 11 bald eagles recently were spotted roosting in trees near Carpentersville dam.
Mark Herrera said trees near Otto Engineering in Carpentersville are good spot for spotting the eagles, which he first noticed more than five years ago. Herrera said he’s seen eagles in the area almost every day since at least Christmas.
Herrera said he also noticed a few eagles along the river in summer, evidence that some of the birds are staying along the Fox River all year. A delivery service driver, Herrera said he’s see bald eagles this season while working in St. Charles and Batavia.
“They’re all along the Fox,” Herrera said.
Photographer Michele Almeida, of Cary, said it takes patience, not rushing toward the eagles, good equipment and the proper winter clothing to take quality photos of bald eagles.
“You have to respect them. I’ll sit in one spot for hours to get a good photo,” Almeida said.
Almeida said she’s been taking photographs of bald eagles along the Fox River since 2012.
“There’s just something about the eagle that makes them my favorite animal to photograph,” Almeida said. Taking their photos has taught me patience and allowed me to notice other wildlife, other things in nature and to meet other photographers.”
