Less than 100 miles north of Kansas City is a yearly spectacle — the annual bald eagle migration at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge.”We’ve been seeing an increase in eagles now for years,” said William Kutosky, wildlife refuge manager. Missouri is one of the best-known states for wintering eagles, and 2025-2026 is proving no exception. Loess Bluffs celebrated a new bald eagle record at the refuge just last week. “Our previous record was set on January 3, 2022, and we had 833 bald eagles here,” Kutosky said. “This past week, we set a new bald eagle record.”On Dec. 30, wildlife experts observed 1,012 bald eagles at Loess Bluffs. “I’ve never seen this many eagles in one place,” said Jim Belote.Belote drove in from Conway, Arkansas, to see the migration. “I would just encourage folks to come visit,” Kutosky said. “This is a phenomenal resource for the public.While some of the birds have left, as of Jan. 6, the reserve was still home to at least 500 bald eagles, plus thousands of geese, ducks and trumpeter swans.If you’d like to visit and see the eagles for yourself, Loess Bluffs is open from sunup to sundown seven days a week. It’s approximately two miles off Exit 79 on Interstate 29.

FOREST CITY, Mo. —

Less than 100 miles north of Kansas City is a yearly spectacle — the annual bald eagle migration at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge.

“We’ve been seeing an increase in eagles now for years,” said William Kutosky, wildlife refuge manager.

Missouri is one of the best-known states for wintering eagles, and 2025-2026 is proving no exception. Loess Bluffs celebrated a new bald eagle record at the refuge just last week.

“Our previous record was set on January 3, 2022, and we had 833 bald eagles here,” Kutosky said. “This past week, we set a new bald eagle record.”

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On Dec. 30, wildlife experts observed 1,012 bald eagles at Loess Bluffs.

“I’ve never seen this many eagles in one place,” said Jim Belote.

Belote drove in from Conway, Arkansas, to see the migration.

“I would just encourage folks to come visit,” Kutosky said. “This is a phenomenal resource for the public.

While some of the birds have left, as of Jan. 6, the reserve was still home to at least 500 bald eagles, plus thousands of geese, ducks and trumpeter swans.

If you’d like to visit and see the eagles for yourself, Loess Bluffs is open from sunup to sundown seven days a week. It’s approximately two miles off Exit 79 on Interstate 29.