These two eagles are quite serious about their fish. You would think there would be enough to go around, but that is evidently not the way of the wild!

There is a fairly large, shallow lake that forms the centerpiece of the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, just west of the Mississippi River.  A few weeks ago (early January 2010), we really lucked out when we went to see if we could see any eagles.  The lake was very low and there were a lot of dead catfish and what might have been carp, most looked to be between 3 and 5 pounds, laying out on the exposed ground.  The eagles were feasting on the fish, and provided some wonderful images.

Someone decided it was too cold to get out and pick up their biscuit wrapper.  Shot was taken along the road at the West Alton migratory bird sanctuary.

Just north of St. Louis, the Mississippi and Missouri river come together and head south for a winding journey to the Gulf of Mexico.  Not only do the Mighty Mississip and the Big Muddy meet up here, but every winter, millions of birds find this spot in their migration paths and spend some time dining on the river bounty.

The flood plain in West Alton, MO is frequently quite wet, and when the weather is 10 degrees F, it can make a nice little patch of ice for little boys.