Bird watchers prepare for eagles

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Officials from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation say the New Year brings in a special treat for avid, bird-watchers.<br/><br/>Officials say January and February are

Sunday, January 1st 2006, 4:31 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Officials from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation say the New Year brings in a special treat for avid, bird-watchers.

Officials say January and February are prime eagle watching months in Oklahoma and say bald eagles can be spotted at most of the state's lakes.

The birds arrive in Oklahoma around December and the population peaks in January. The eagles come to the state in search of food after northern lakes have frozen over.

Officials say Oklahoma has more miles of shoreline than the east and west coasts combined, making Oklahoma one of the top ten states in the nation for bald eagle viewing.

Oklahoma averages about 830 eagles each winter. State officials counted a record of one-thousand-540 eagles in 1991.