01-14-2008, 11:10 PM
Wildlife enthusiasts will pay tribute to eagles at the annual "Eagle Day Festival" Saturday, Feb. 2 at Lake Pueblo State Park. Events at the day-long event include live bird demonstrations, bird watching classes, wildlife viewing stations and the release of two hawks that were nursed back to health by the Pueblo Raptor Center.
All of the activities are free and open to the public, but vehicles must have a valid Colorado State Parks pass to access activities on the north side of the park. A Park's Pass is not required to attend activities at the Park Headquarters Building on the south side.
Exhibits, lectures, demonstrations, kids activities, and indoor events take place at the Headquarters Building. Wildlife viewing tours, spotting scopes, and release of the hawks take place on the north side of the reservoir.
Participants should remember to dress appropriately for the weather and bring binoculars and cameras!
The event's co-sponsors are the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), Lake Pueblo State Park, Pueblo Zoo, Greenway Nature Center of Pueblo, The Pueblo Raptor Center, Aquilla Power Company and the Arkansas Valley Audubon Society.
Eagles rank number one on the list of animals that Americans say they want to see in the wild, and Colorado in the winter offers prime viewing opportunities for both bald eagles and golden eagles.
The bald eagle - so named because of its white head - lives only in North America, and it is the second largest bird of prey of the continent. Only the California condor is larger.
Up to 1,200 bald eagles spend the winter in Colorado. They are attracted by relatively mild winters. Bald eagles tend to stay near open water where they can find fish, which is why they gather near large reservoirs along the Arkansas River drainage. The bald eagle prefers to nest in large trees near water with little human activity.
Most of the bald eagles leave Colorado in late February or March, heading north to nesting grounds in the northern U.S., Canada and Alaska. A few bald eagles remain year-round.
Adult bald eagles have a wingspan of up to eight feet and may weigh as much as 12 pounds. They have large brown bodies, yellow beaks and white heads and tails. They fly with deep strokes and soar on flattened wings. Because immature bald eagles lack the distinctive white markings, they are frequently
with golden eagles until they reach the age of maturity.
Golden eagles prefer rugged cliffs with adjacent open fields where they feed on a variety of birds, reptiles and small mammals. Rabbits and prairie dogs make up a large portion of their diet.
Unlike bald eagles, golden eagles are common nesting birds in Colorado. There are between 600 and 900 active golden eagle nest sites in the state. The majority of the golden eagles in Colorado nest in the northwest part of the state during the summer and move to the eastern plains in the winter. Some golden eagles remain in southern Colorado year-round.
For more information and a detailed schedule of events and times, please visit the Festival's Web site at www.eagleday.org or call John Koshak in Colorado Springs at (719) 227-5221 or the Pueblo DOW office at (719) 561-5300.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing wildlife and wildlife habitat, as well as providing wildlife related recreation and maintaining a balance between human activities and wildlife. Funding for the Division of Wildlife comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and the habitat fees collected in conjunction with those sales. The Division does not receive tax dollars from the Colorado general fund.
All of the activities are free and open to the public, but vehicles must have a valid Colorado State Parks pass to access activities on the north side of the park. A Park's Pass is not required to attend activities at the Park Headquarters Building on the south side.
Exhibits, lectures, demonstrations, kids activities, and indoor events take place at the Headquarters Building. Wildlife viewing tours, spotting scopes, and release of the hawks take place on the north side of the reservoir.
Participants should remember to dress appropriately for the weather and bring binoculars and cameras!
The event's co-sponsors are the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), Lake Pueblo State Park, Pueblo Zoo, Greenway Nature Center of Pueblo, The Pueblo Raptor Center, Aquilla Power Company and the Arkansas Valley Audubon Society.
Eagles rank number one on the list of animals that Americans say they want to see in the wild, and Colorado in the winter offers prime viewing opportunities for both bald eagles and golden eagles.
The bald eagle - so named because of its white head - lives only in North America, and it is the second largest bird of prey of the continent. Only the California condor is larger.
Up to 1,200 bald eagles spend the winter in Colorado. They are attracted by relatively mild winters. Bald eagles tend to stay near open water where they can find fish, which is why they gather near large reservoirs along the Arkansas River drainage. The bald eagle prefers to nest in large trees near water with little human activity.
Most of the bald eagles leave Colorado in late February or March, heading north to nesting grounds in the northern U.S., Canada and Alaska. A few bald eagles remain year-round.
Adult bald eagles have a wingspan of up to eight feet and may weigh as much as 12 pounds. They have large brown bodies, yellow beaks and white heads and tails. They fly with deep strokes and soar on flattened wings. Because immature bald eagles lack the distinctive white markings, they are frequently
with golden eagles until they reach the age of maturity. Golden eagles prefer rugged cliffs with adjacent open fields where they feed on a variety of birds, reptiles and small mammals. Rabbits and prairie dogs make up a large portion of their diet.
Unlike bald eagles, golden eagles are common nesting birds in Colorado. There are between 600 and 900 active golden eagle nest sites in the state. The majority of the golden eagles in Colorado nest in the northwest part of the state during the summer and move to the eastern plains in the winter. Some golden eagles remain in southern Colorado year-round.
For more information and a detailed schedule of events and times, please visit the Festival's Web site at www.eagleday.org or call John Koshak in Colorado Springs at (719) 227-5221 or the Pueblo DOW office at (719) 561-5300.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing wildlife and wildlife habitat, as well as providing wildlife related recreation and maintaining a balance between human activities and wildlife. Funding for the Division of Wildlife comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and the habitat fees collected in conjunction with those sales. The Division does not receive tax dollars from the Colorado general fund.