Professional bird watchers from all over the Bay Area have been flocking to the Hernando County landfill to take photos of bald eagles before they migrate north for the summer.

  • Landfill located at 14450 Landfill Road in Brooksville
  • 10-30 eagles can be seen on most days
  • Landfill does not charge admission fee

“We like coming here because there’s a variety of age of eagles,” said Eagle Watch Coordinator Nancy Murrah. “Everything from a first year eagle, we have seen third year eagles, fourth year eagles and then adults.”

Murrah said the landfill, located at 14450 Landfill Road in Brooksville, attracts many juvenile eagles because they don’t yet have a territory and there’s plenty of easy food.

“Eagles are opportunistic feeders. They will eat anything,” she said. “The landfill provides them a good variety of stuff to sift through as well as rodents.”

Pasco County Eagle Watch Co-Coordinator Kim Rexroat said she travels to the landfill from New Port Richey about twice a month to spot eagles.  

“These are gorgeous birds - it’s a shame they’re digging at the landfill,” she said. “They’ll take it wherever they can. They’re pretty lazy birds.”

Rexroat said on any given day between November and March, between 10-to-30 eagles can be seen. The Hernando landfill does not charge the bird watchers to enter the premises.

“You just stop at the gate house and tell them you’re here to photograph the eagles and they’ll even show you where they’re at,” said Rexroat. “They’re very helpful. They encourage people to come up here and see the eagles.”  

Murrah said the official bald eagle nesting season is Oct. 1 through May 15. During the summer the eagles migrate north.

“They travel anywhere between North Carolina and Nova Scotia,” she said. “As soon as it starts to get cold up there, they come back to Florida where it’s warm, where they can raise their young for the winter.”



Photo: Josh Rojas, staff