(The Center Square) – For a real February thrill, Bob Bryerton, program manager of the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Plum Creek Nature Center near Beecher, Illinois, recommends taking a short winter hike to do some eagle spotting.
“They are really, really big,” he said. “Larger than anything else in our sky, with a 6-foot wingspan.”
More eagles spend the winter in Illinois than in any other state except Alaska.
“In the lower 48 in the wintertime, Illinois has the most eagles,” Bryerton said.
A hike as short as half an hour on a trail along an Illinois river or waterway often will reward you with an eagle sighting.
“When the water freezes in the north, eagles move a little bit south. Illinois seems to be the place where they can find open water,” Bryerton said.
Bring binoculars if you have them, but you don’t need them.
Up in the sky, eagles look something like turkey vultures and hawks. Turkey vultures rock more when they fly, Bryerton said. Their wings tilt up in a V-shape.