Bald Eagle Watch on Lake Ouachita

Today, we (Rosie and Bob) drove to Lake Ouachita to go on an eagle watch tour. The tours are held about 1-2 times/week during the cooler months when bald eagles are in the area. Our guide said today would be a good day to see eagles in the trees near the shore - the weather was overcast, cold (35F) and rainy at times. On sunny days the eagles are typically soaring above the lake.

The lake was fairly smooth when we started off. Here's a picture of a calm inlet on the lake.Before we got to the eagles, we saw a loon feeding near the shore. Loons are not typical residents of this area. They stop by during their migration.We started up the north bank of the lake (the shallow side) where eagles had been seen the day before. Before long we spotted two eagles in a tree. This is a male/female pair. Eagles mate for life; the female is typically the larger of the two. (See, it's not just a human characteristic!) Their normal life span is about 25 years. Also, eagles are about 5 years old before their heads turn white.As we approached the eagles, the male (a bit skiddish) flew off. However, the female stayed around and was a great model. She posed as we motored back and forth in front of her tree. She was really beautiful.We went around the corner and got a quick shot of the male before he flew off again.After about 1 hour of our 2 hour tour, the frozen rain really started to come down. We all decided that we had had enough "fun" for today and headed back to the state park. Overall, a very successful eagle watch tour.

And since we were in the general area, we headed to The Shack in Jessieville for a burger for lunch. Interesting how we plan our trips around places where we like to eat.