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Bald Eagle Appreciation Days

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Event:
Bald Eagle Appreciation Days
Start:
February 22, 2019 5:00 pm
End:
February 23, 2019 3:00 pm
Cost:
Free
Category:
,
Updated:
February 25, 2016
Venue:
Hoffman Hall
Phone:
608-326-8555
Address:
Google Map
1600 S. Waucota Avenue, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States

genoa_eagle_225hiPrairie du Chien hosts Bald Eagle Appreciation Days at Hoffman Hall in the city and at locales around town Friday and Saturday, February 22-23. You can view eagles along the beautiful Great River Road (Highway 35) and up and down the Mississippi River flyway around Prairie du Chien, check out live Bald Eagle and raptor programs, educational exhibits and displays, birding experts on hand, outdoor viewing of Bald Eagles through spotting scopes, life-size Bald Eagle nest, craft activities for children and more.

All programs and activities at Hoffman Hall in Prairie Du Chien on Saturday are free. Educational Birding programs will also be held Friday evening – at local hotels and are open to the public at no charge. The event is co-sponsored by Effigy Mounds National Monument and the Prairie du Chien Tourism Council. Effigy Mounds Winter Film Festival will also be going on that weekend and the Villa Louis will be open for tours. Stop and get some tasty fish and other morsels at Valley Fish & Cheese right where Highway 27 starts in the downtown area, too!

Get all the details on their website!

U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you to Prairie du Chien.

Bald Eagle Appreciation Days Address:

Along with being all over town, activities focus on Hoffman Hall
1600 S. Waucota Avenue
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-8555
Website




 

Viewing Area Tips for Eagle Watching In and Around Prairie du Chien (courtesy of their website)
A good spot for eagle viewing is between the Blackhawk Avenue and Washington Street bridges in Prairie du Chien. A large artesian well provides open water. Eagles will perch in trees along the slough. Check the trees along the Mississippi River shore near and across from Lawler Park on St. Feriole Island is another location of eagle activity. The park is west and north of the Blackhawk Avenue bridge. A mounted bird scope for viewing is available (located in back of building) at the Wisconsin Welcome Center/Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce building, 211 S. Main. Enroute to Prairie du Chien watch for eagles soaring or perching in trees in open field areas looking for food.

You can spend the day or several days viewing eagles. You will need appropriate clothing and binoculars. A spotting scope is nice too. Eagle watching begins in the morning about an hour after sunrise. The birds are most active from then until about 3:00PM, feeding in open water areas. Birds can be seen soaring, perching in riverside trees, and sitting on the ice. By late afternoon the birds will be heading for the roost and will not be active unless you are on a flight path to the roost.

The best places to see eagles in the area include the Gordon’s Bay boat landing and Lock and Dam #9, 10 miles north of Prairie du Chien. The boat landing is cleared of snow so eagle watchers can simply park near the ramp facing slightly upstream. Watch for eagles in the big cottonwoods along the Wisconsin shoreline, across the river in trees along the Iowa shoreline, and soaring overhead or over the open water caused by flowing water from the dam. Staying in your vehicle will provide you the best viewing as soaring eagles have been known to come very close to the boat landing with their feeding activity. Eagles will be seen flying and perched in trees along the river as you travel to and from this area from Prairie du Chien.

Other Eagle Viewing Sites

Effigy Mounds National Monument
Three miles north of Marquette, IA, via U.S. 18 across the river and Iowa Highway 76 northbound
563-873-3491

Pikes Peak State Park
2.5 miles south of McGregor, IA on Hwy 340, via U.S. 18 across the river
563-873-2341

Wyalusing State Park
10 miles south of Prairie du Chien, via U.S. 18/Highway 35 and County C (the Great River Road)
608-996-2261