St. Croix River | An Important Bird Area

Bald Eagles have an incredibly large range and habitat from Alaska and large parts of Canada to all of the lower 48 states. As long as there is water nearby, they can live in a wide variety of landscapes such as  forests, swamps, mountains, and even deserts. You can find Bald Eagles all over the St. Croix Watershed.

As hunters, Bald Eagles keep the population of their prey controlled and healthy by targeting the weaker and sick animals. As scavengers, Bald Eagles are part of the clean-up and decomposition process important in many ecosystems. Bald Eagles are also an indicator species, meaning that they reflect the health of the environment since they are very sensitive to pollutants and habitat degradation.

In part of their range, Bald Eagles migrate south for winter. However, Bald Eagles typically reside year-round in the St. Croix watershed.

Bald eagles are both predators and scavengers. They are willing to attack prey or steal kills from smaller competitor birds, especially Ospreys. These majestic raptors are also a symbol of the United States and are well known for their signature screech. However, that screech is not theirs but that of a Red-tailed Hawk. Bald eagles make chirping noises very similar to gulls.

If you’re a hunter, make sure to use lead-free ammunition when hunting and lead-free tackle when fishing. When lead bullets hit their mark, they shatter, leaving trace amounts of lead in the environment. Lead tackle can break off, and remain attached to the fish that eagles hunt, harming them when they ingest it. As scavengers, eagles often visit sites where deer, birds, and other animals have been hunted and can be impacted by these leftover lead fragments, even if they’re very small. Non-lead ammunition does not shatter and will not impact eagle populations. Both lead-free ammunition and lead-free tackle are also safer for you if you plan on consuming the meat of the animal you’re hunting.