Despite this grim statistic, under normal conditions the number of young eagles that do make it is more than enough to sustain the current population. Bald eagle migration can take many forms. Some eagles stay in their nesting and breeding grounds year round if food is ample and waterways remain open for fishing. Others travel a considerable distance to find a suitable place to spend the frigid months ahead. Some will even travel as far south as Texas from Canada and Alaska to spend the cold winter months.
Eagles are leisurely migrators.
Once the eagle arrives at its destination it settles in for a relatively relaxing winter spent roosting and waiting for its life cycle to begin anew with the warm winds of spring. Despite its status as our national symbol, the bald eagle has not always enjoyed widespread popularity and acceptance. Once thought to be an insatiable predator with a taste for the kill, thousands of blameless birds were shot on sight by ranchers and sportsmen intent on protecting livestock and wild game. Eagles have faced serious survival challenges from other sources including DDT poisoning, accidental trapping and electrocution on power lines. The conservation movements of the 1970's, however, made great strides in the understanding and preservation of the eagle.