Raptor by the river

Ben Hardin/Courtesy photo

A bald eagle keeps an eagle eye on a visitor, Ben Hardin of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, along the Republican River on Tuesday. Outdoorsmen and women have reported sighting a number of the majestic creatures throughout the area in recent weeks. Nor does one have to venture too far into the wild to see a beautiful bird, either. Alan Bartels of Nebraska Life magazine used the Fact Check link on our website to say that a hawk pictured Wednesday enjoying a pigeon meal in downtown McCook was likely a sharp-shinned hawk or a cooper's hawk. "You are fortunate to have local wildlife to enjoy," Bartels said in his email.