Ms Keene, 84, has estimated that since 1978 — when she threw her first fish to one of the birds, America’s national symbol — she has provided them with almost 500 tonnes of food, The Times reported.

Every year from December to the end of March she spends an estimated £15,000 on fish for the birds. During the winter season, before they fly away to mate and raise their young, the eagles get through about 50,000lb (22 tonnes) of fish provided by Ms Keene, who lives in Homer, Alaska.

But so many birds ended up arriving at the town in search of a free lunch that residents complained that they were just as much of a pest as the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, London.

Many said that the eagles — which have a 6ft wingspan — were scaring away other wildlife, including sea otters and sea birds such as kittiwakes, and claimed that they were attacking pet cats and dogs.

In 2006 laws were introduced to ban the feeding of birds in Homer, but an exception was made for Ms Keene, although she will also have to stop in 2010. As long as her health permits, she intends to carry on right up to the deadline, she said.

Half the eagles she feeds have already flown away this year and the remaining ones will have to fend for themselves again from today — winter feeding has to stop on April 1.

Despite criticism by some of Homer’s residents that the birds are quite capable of finding their own food and that the fish handouts are upsetting the natural balance, Ms Keene remains defiant. “The reason I feed the eagles for three months in the winter time is because they are hungry and it is hard for them to find food,” she said.

When she first started feeding the birds she was working at a fish canning factory and tossed them occasional scraps. Now she calculates that she can get through 1,000lb in less than three days.

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