Winter is a great time to photograph eagles in Wisconsin. They tend to concentrate below the dams on the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers where the water remains in a liquid state and the fish are plentiful. I've been out about a half dozen times and seen as many as 45-50 eagles at a time fishing and courting below a dam.  The best times to be out are when the weather is bitterly cold. The more ice on the river concentrates the eagles. The above picture was taken on cold, clear below zero morning. This time of year provides lots of opportunity for action shots as the birds fish, harass each other and begin their courting activities. With all the birds around it is also a great opportunity to see the different stages of juvenile molts. usually it takes four or five years for them to get their full adult plumage. Above is an adult and juvenile that just dropped a fish. 

Eagles have made a remarkable comeback from near extinction due in large part to the Endangered Species Act. DDT, lead poisoning and indiscriminate persecution reduced their numbers to just a few northern states. Now they can be found in nearly every state. Wisconsin had nearly 1600 nesting pairs in 2017. Get out to the Wisconsin or Mississippi River dams in the next few weeks to enjoy the beauty of these great birds. Check out my "Eagle" gallery for more images.