Bald eagles at open water in winter

Why this time of year

Ice shrinks the places an eagle can fish, so the birds bunch up at whatever open water is left, and that makes them easier to find. In mild winters fewer northern eagles come south. Mass Audubon says the mouth of the Merrimack River often holds a number of wintering eagles.

How to notice it

1. After a cold snap has iced over the local ponds, go to open water: a river below a dam that is releasing water, a large reservoir, or a coastal river mouth. Scan from the shore or a parking area, never from the ice.
2. Check the tallest trees beside the open water and the water itself for a huge dark bird with flat, board-like wings. Eagles come back to the same shoreline, and even the same tree, all season, so if you see one, go back to that spot.
3. Tell the ages apart. An adult has a white head, a white tail, and a yellow bill. A young bird is dark brown, often blotched with white in varying amounts, with a dark bill, and it does not get the white head until it is about five.
4. Watch through binoculars from inside your car or from far away. If an eagle stops feeding, stares at you, calls, or looks nervous, back away slowly. Early morning is often the best time.

Sources

• web.archive.orgMassWildlife news release 1/30/2023 (Wayback; live mass.gov 403). 'Eagles are drawn to open waters. When lakes and ponds begin to freeze, there are fewer areas of open waters which may make eagles easier to find.' 'Eagles often gather below dams if water is being released.' 'Eagles tend to return to the same section of shoreline or even the same tree throughout the season.' 'watching with binoculars from inside your vehicle is a great way to observe the birds without disturbing them'. 'If you notice a change in behavior, slowly back away.'
• web.archive.orgMassWildlife species account (Wayback). 'In winter, eagles of all ages may gather in large numbers at areas with open water where fish or waterfowl are abundant.' Adults 'white head and tail, brown body, pale yellow eyes, and bright yellow beak and feet. The adult plumage is attained at 4 to 5 years of age.' Wintering areas include Quabbin, Connecticut River, Merrimack River, Assawompset Pond complex, the coast of Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay and the islands. Eat carrion, especially dead fish.
• web.archive.orgMA DCR Quabbin kiosk poster (3/6/18). Winter population 'can rise as high as 50 eagles with the addition of birds from Canada and Northern New England.' 'If the winter remains mild, fewer eagles will need to travel.' Immatures lack the white head 'until approximately 5 years of age' and 'lack the yellow beak and eyes'. 'morning is the best time to see the eagles.'
• web.archive.orgMass Audubon blog (2020-01-20, Wayback). 'When ice forms on interior lakes, Bald Eagles move to river mouths along the coast where they can fish in the open water. The mouth of the Merrimack often has a number of wintering eagles.'
• fws.govUSFWS National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines (2007). 'Most eagles that breed at northern latitudes migrate southward during winter, or to coastal areas where waters remain unfrozen.' Wintering eagles 'often gather in large numbers in areas below reservoirs, especially hydropower dams'. Juveniles 'mottled brown and white plumage', adult plumage 'by 5 years of age.'
• web.archive.orgCornell All About Birds ID (Wayback; live 403). 'Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years.' 'In flight, a Bald Eagle holds its broad wings flat like a board.'

Checked against these sources on October 23, 2026.

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