By 1812Blockhouse
This is the second in a two-part series on winter birdwatching in Richland County, focusing on one of the season’s most anticipated sights: bald eagle activity across the region.
If you spend enough time near a river, lake, or marsh in January or February, you begin to understand why winter is prime eagle season in Ohio. The trees are bare. The water stands out against the muted landscape. And perched high above it all, sometimes for long stretches without moving, sits a bird that still has the power to stop people in their tracks.
A recent midwinter citizen survey underscores just how present bald eagles have become across the state. Between January 7 and January 21, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife received 391 separate reports through its Wildlife Reporting System, documenting 715 bald eagles. Of those, 592 were adults and 123 were immature birds.
The survey was timed to coincide with the start of the United States’ 250th anniversary year in 2026, inviting Ohioans to help count the nation’s symbol in the depths of winter.
Those numbers are part of a much larger story. A 2025 nest census found 964 active bald eagle nests in Ohio, up sharply from 707 nests recorded in 2020. Eagles were nesting in 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Not long ago, such figures would have been unthinkable. In 1979, only four nesting pairs remained in the state.
January and February are ideal months for eagle watching, according to ebird.com and wildlife officials. Courtship and nest building begin during this period. Eggs are typically laid and incubated in February and March in large trees such as sycamores, beeches, oaks, and cottonwoods near water. Winter also makes identification easier. Adult bald eagles stand out with their white heads and tails against dark bodies. Immature eagles, which can take four to five years to develop those field marks, appear mottled brown and white and are often mistaken for other large birds of prey. A good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope makes a noticeable difference when scanning distant treetops.
Across Ohio, some of the best viewing locations include Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve, Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area, and Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. In southern parts of the state, major rivers such as the Muskingum, Hocking, Scioto, and Great Miami draw regular eagle activity.
Richland County has its own share of sightings this winter.
On January 27, Gary Cowell reported seeing a bald eagle at the Clear Fork River near the State Route 95 bridge. During the same observation, he also counted 30 Canada geese in the area. It is exactly the kind of setting where eagles are most often found: open water, nearby trees, and an available food source.
Eagles can be seen in all 88 Ohio counties today because of decades of careful conservation and habitat protection. The species was removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007 and from Ohio’s list in 2012 after steady recovery efforts led by wildlife officials, conservationists, zoos, rehabilitators, and private landowners.
Even now, bald eagles remain protected under both state law and the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Observers are urged to stay at least 100 yards away, especially near nest sites, since disturbance can cause adults to abandon eggs.
Funding for eagle habitat and research comes from several sources, including bald eagle conservation license plates, income tax donations to the Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity Fund, sales of the Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp, and revenue from hunting and fishing licenses that support wildlife area management.
For many residents, the first eagle sighting of the winter is a moment that changes how they see the season. A quiet riverbank becomes a place to scan carefully. A frozen lake becomes more than a landscape. It becomes a place where one of the most recognizable birds in the world is actively living, hunting, courting, and nesting.
In Richland County, winter does not empty the outdoors, rather it simply reveals who is still here.
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
