Have you seen it? Bald eagle spotted along Mission Reach in South San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – The saying goes, “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” However, for San Antonians, the saying stops at “it’s a bird” when it comes to locals who are walking along San Antonio’s Mission Reach and spot none another than a majestic bald eagle flying above.

In a post sent to the San Antonio River Authority’s Facebook page, the organization said since mid-December, a young adult bald eagle has been spotted on different occasions at various locations along the Mission Reach.

“It is unusual to see one this close to the urban core of San Antonio, but ecological improvements to the Mission Reach provide a natural corridor for wildlife to venture in this area,” SARA said in the post.

According to SARA, experts who have seen the bald eagle believe the bird is not fully mature after studying it because it has “the striking white head and tail of an adult, but the tip of its tail is still dark.” 

One user who responded to SARA’s tweet about the rare sighting said he’s noticed bald eagles have been “moving and nesting southward for a number of years now.” 

“We see them in Fayette County quite often, along the Colorado (River). We have a pair and now several juveniles that hunt on the ranch. Last spring, my Mom happened on a pair plucking through a hay bale,” the user in reply to the tweet.

According to Texas A&M AgriLife, the bald eagle became the national bird of the United States in 1792, but it wasn’t until 1952 when the bird achieved full protection. 

The Mission Reach project was created to give an eight-mile stretch of the San Antonio River and turn it into a “quality riparian woodland ecosystem, reconnecting the river to cultural and historical features,” the organization’s website said. 

SARA said the bald eagle is not the only species that can be found along the Mission Reach, suggesting visitors should download their avian checklist to learn more about the other local creatures.