EAGLE COMEBACK

JEFFERSON CITY -- Missouri eagles are staging a comeback.

Repeated sightings of a nearly-mature bald eagle have been reported near Licking, Mo.

Missouri Department of Conservation ornithologist Jim D. Wilson said he had received reports of three sightings of a bald eagle at Licking, which had been released as part of Missouri's bald eagle restoration program.

The sightings all involved an eagle bearing an orange tag on its right wind, and a light blue tag on its left wing.

The DOC has released 74 birds in its eagle re-introduction program during the past decade. The two release sites were Schell-Osage Wildlife Area on the Osage River at the upper end of Harry S. Truman Reservoir and the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, near Puxico.