Eagle Watching in Driftless Wisconsin

The regal gathering has the feel of a formal affair, with the proud birds dressed in white-feathered headdresses and tails befitting royal heads of state. The occasion for this stately dinner – a farmer has spread fish remains on his cornfield for spring planting – lacks a certain royal elegance, but let’s not quibble over details. The sight of so many beautiful birds at one setting sends your spirits soaring.Driftless Wisconsin, especially the Mississippi River corridor along its western border, is renowned for eagle watching. During the summer the birds remain elusive, perched in trees high above the water peering with their telescopic eyes for the day’s meal. Boaters, if they are quiet, can sometimes glimpse baby eaglets poking their heads above giant nests hidden in the backwaters.

Wintertime offers better viewing, with the bluffs stripped of concealing foliage and the eagles tending to congregate around open water in the otherwise ice-covered river. I’ve been fortunate to see a half-dozen eagles holding court in a barren tree overlooking open water like so many ice fishermen peering into their fishing holes. Dennis Kirschbaum, former DNR warden and now with Effigy Mounds National Monument, told me he’s seen hundreds of eagles gather during migration time in March, depending on weather conditions.

To celebrate the Driftless area’s rich heritage of eagle habitat, two communities are planning their annual eagle watching events. On February 26, Prairie du Chien will host Eagle Appreciation Day from 9 am to 3 pm at the Regional Tourism Center and adjacent AmericInn Lodge & Suites. Activities will include Live Bald Eagle Programs throughout the day, an American Eagle Documentary from the PBS Nature Series, a Bald Eagles on the Refuge presentation, a puppet show for the kids, and a Raptor Resource Project presentation. Outdoor viewing with spotting scopes and binoculars will be available along with a reproduction of a bald eagle nest.

Then on March 5, Ferryville will present Bald Eagle Watching Day at the Ferryville Community Center beginning at 10 am. The event will feature a Live Eagle and Raptor Program at 11 am and 1 pm. Additional programs include presentations by the US Fish & Wildlife Refuge and Cloris Lowe of the Oneida Tribe. Photographer Larry Knutson will exhibit his award winning photo art and the De Soto Middle School will display their Eagle Art Project. Outdoor observing will take place at the River Park Observation Deck overlooking Lake Winneshiek from downtown Ferryville.

Spend the rest of the weekend exploring the Great River Road along the Mississippi or one of the county roads that climb the ridge. If you’re lucky, you might happen upon an eagle convention. No need to dress up for the gathering; we’re all casual around here.