The Marion County Conservation Department released their November Nature Notes earlier this month.

According to Marion County Naturalist Marla Mertz, most birds in the area that migrate south for the winter have already done so and some waterfowl will continue to move through with cold fronts. She also says that wintering bald eagles will begin moving into the area soon and they will be visible around the county while it’s still warm. 

“When the wintering bald eagles come in, you will see them in the fields, you will see them along the roads, you’ll see them all around the lake as long as the lake is open and the water is open, that’s where you’re going to find them. It’s when it gets bitterly cold and the lake starts to freeze that you will find a majority of movement down below the (Lake Red Rock) Dam and along the Des Moines river corridor and that’s where they usually hold shelter.”

Hear more from Marion County Naturalist Marla Mertz on an upcoming In Touch with South Central Iowa.