DeKALB – Peggy Doty expects to see a bald eagle at least once when she steps out of her office in Russell Woods Forest Preserve this winter.

As the bald eagle population rebounds nationwide, bird watchers in DeKalb County have reported seeing more of the national emblem. But experts say sightings aren’t typical in the area, meaning curious viewers should follow a few tips if they want to catch a glimpse of the once-endangered raptor.

Among them, is to look near rivers. Bald eagles tend to stay near open water so they can catch fish, said Doty, an educator for the University of Illinois Extension. While numbers show the Mississippi and the Illinois rivers account for nearly all the bald eagles spotted in the state, the Kishwaukee River also attracts some.

“If you’re hiking somewhere this winter,” Doty advised, “pick a spot near open water because that will be your best chance.”

Doty knows of at least two pairs of bald eagles that have nested in DeKalb County. She said there are probably about a dozen in the entire county. Although the numbers might seem small, they aren’t when compared to 40 years ago.

According to Arizona nonprofit, the Center for Biological Diversity, one known pair of bald eagles lived in Illinois in 1973. That number grew exponentially to 135 pairs in 2006.

Counters with the Illinois Audubon Society spotted nearly 6,000 bald eagles during their annual mid-winter count in January. They said cold conditions in Minnesota and Wisconsin cause the number of eagles to surge compared to 2013, when counters reported 2,300 bald eagles across the state.

In the southern part of the county, Kerry Novak, the site superintendent for Shabbona Lake State Park, said he’s seen a couple bald eagles, but not as consistently. He said better viewing probably takes place in Starved Rock State Park or at locks and dams along larger rivers.

Christy Gerbitz, the director of operations for Oaken Acres Wildlife Center, said she sees about six bald eagles flying over the center in Kingston. Calls from people who have spotted any large bird, particularly bald eagles, isn’t unheard of.

“Once people called about a bald eagle sitting near the holing ponds at Wal-Mart,” Gerbitz said. “It wasn’t hurt – people were just excited.”

People often mistake large birds like turkey vultures for bald eagles, she said. Easy ways to distinguish a bald eagle is to look at its feet, which will be yellow like the beak protruding from their white heads. Bald eagles’ wings span about 8 feet, she said – 2 feet longer than a turkey vultures’. Then there’s the way the two birds differ when flying.

A vulture’s wings will have a “V” shape in flight while raptors, bald eagles included, fly flat as a board, Gerbitz said.

Anyone who stumbles upon what appears to be an injured or distressed bald eagle should call Oaken Acres immediately so staff there can assess the situation, Gerbitz said. Although restrictions that were in place while bald eagles were endangered are more lax, there still are punishments for getting too close.

State Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley, is sponsoring the “Good Samaritan Bill,” a piece of legislation that would allow members of the public to rescue injured or orphaned wild animals and take them directly to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Pritchard said the legislation was spurred by an ongoing case involving a LaSalle County man who was charged with four counts of taking wildlife illegally after he rescued two bald eaglets that had fallen from their nest and took them to a rehabilitator.

Members of the house could consider the bill as early as February, Pritchard said.

In the meantime, Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Chris Young said the best method for watching bald eagles is to keep some distance from the birds as not to scare them from their perches. Or possibly worse, Young said, making bald eagles so familiar and reliant on humans that they become nuisance animals.

“Your vehicle is the best wildlife blind you have,” Young said. “The eagles get to do their thing, and you get to watch them.”