Seasonal Sightings at Eagle Bluff

Bald Eagle
It is difficult to miss the mature bald eagle as it glides by with its distinctive white head and tail.  It takes 5 years before a young eagle develops white plumage, so the immature eagle is often confused with a hawk. You can tell the difference by comparing the wing to body ratio. A mature eagle is a massive bird, with females weighing up to 14 pounds and wingspan of eight feet and males at 8 pounds.

All birds have better eyesight than humans, but eagles have binocular vision (eyes in front of their head) that allows them to spot a five-pound fish while soaring a mile away and 500 feet in the sky.  An adult eagle can plunge at speeds of 60-100 mph and accurately strike and capture its prey in its powerful two-inch talons.

During classes held at Eagle Bluff, there are regular sightings of both mature and immature eagles. The numbers of eagles observed increase steadily as winter approaches because the population is forced south looking for open water.  Most eagles will end their journey at the Mississippi River where fish are always accessible.

• Learn More!: The U of M Raptor Center
  

Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vultures are common throughout much
of the U.S. and are one of the most easily recognized by the fact that they hold their wings in a "V" just a little higher than horizontal. Turkey vultures are sometimes called buzzards (the British nickname for hawks), but this term is not accurate for vultures, who are neither hawks nor raptors.

These vultures are referred to as turkey vultures because their head is red, similar to that of a male wild turkey. Although not always red, all vultures have featherless heads, an adaptation that makes them a bit less messy when they eat. Their diet consists of carrion (dead flesh).  The turkey vulture possesses a better sense of smell than any bird of prey that inhabits North America and they can sniff out a dead field mouse under a pile of manure five miles away, from the air.

At Eagle Bluff, visitors are often lucky enough to see large groups of vultures circling over head. In the dawn and at dusk, numerous turkey vultures roost in dead trees around campus. The vultures will roost vernight and then spend the day soaring with the thermal air currents in search of food. 

• Learn More!: The U of M Raptor Center
  

White-Tailed Deer

The White-tailed deer is among the most recognizable and important species of wild mammals in Minnesota. Deer adapt well to edges between natural communities (like forests and brushy areas) and edges of towns and farms created by human habitation. Deer numbers generally are increasing, especially near agricultural and residential areas. If populations grow too much, the habitat, the species, and co-existing flora and fauna are affected. Regulated hunting and other measures are used to manage deer populations. It is important for wildlife managers to keep the populations healthy, but not too high.

White-tailed deer can be seen all over Eagle Bluff. Deer are tan or reddish brown in the summer and grayish brown in the winter with a white throat, belly, eye-ring, and nose band. Their brown tail has a centered black stripe and a white underside. Keep an eye out for the white flash of their tail as they signal to other deer in their herd. You might also look for rub marks on tree trunks, deer beds where they sleep, scat, or tracks. You might even find antlers shed by the males after the rutting season.

• Learn More!: Bluffland Whitetails Association
  

Fox
There are two kinds of foxes that can be found in Minnesota...the red and the gray fox. The red fox is most often found in fields and open places while the gray fox prefers to be in the woods. Like all canines, wild or domestic, foxes have excellent senses of smell, sight, and hearing. They eat small mammals, birds, insects, and fruits. Native American legends generally label the fox as sly and cunning but in reality they tend to
be secretive and shy, allowing them to
survive even in big cities.

• Learn More!: National Wildlife Federation

Coyote
Coyotes are somewhat larger than foxes and are common in forests, farmlands, and even suburbs. Coyotes prey mice, gophers, rabbits, lizards, small birds, and sometimes deer. When live food is scarce, they will eat fruit, berries, or dead animals. These animals are territorial, but the more abundant the food source, the smaller their territory will need to be. In legends, Old Man Coyote was a trickster and wanderer. Like the real life coyote, he was crafty and very adaptable.

• Learn More! : National Wildlife Federation