Eagle watching days goes virtual for 2021
Wisconsin’s longest-running bald eagle watching extravaganza is going virtual for 2021, with programming available throughout January and February. Because of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Sauk Prairie area’s Bald Eagle Watching Days will be livestreamed.
Bald eagle lovers will be able to see their favorite parts of this annual event, from the comfort and safety of their own home.
“Our planned virtual programming will feature the release of a rehabilitated bald eagle to the wild, a live raptor show and many more of your favorite events and presentations,” said Jeb Barzen, president of the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council (FBEC). “We’ll provide experts to answer your questions, and show eagle watchers how they can safely visit the area and see the birds themselves using our new self-guided tour.”
Links and a schedule for all programming can be found on the FBEC website at ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org.
Programming is a mix of live-streamed and pre-recorded events. A self-guided tour using mobile devices is available on the FBEC website and guides people to prime viewing spots along the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway.
“We’re excited to offer people in Wisconsin and elsewhere, a chance to enjoy Bald Eagle Watching Days in a new way and at their leisure in 2021,” Matteson said.
Bald Eagle Watching Days started in 1987, to highlight the growing comeback of bald eagles since their listing in the 1970s, as an endangered species. The national ban on the pesticide DDT, added protections under state and federal endangered species laws, cleaned up rivers, and public support of nest monitoring and protection efforts allowed bald eagles to fly off the state endangered species list in 1997, and the federal list a decade later.
In winter, the raptors typically congregate along open water areas on the Wisconsin, Mississippi and Fox rivers. Their growing presence in these areas, has turned the sites into birdwatching destinations and inspired many community events, including the Sauk Prairie area’s Bald Eagle Watching Days.
“The comeback of bald eagles in Wisconsin, is an amazing story and we’re excited to help bring this story alive for people again,” said Barzen.
