The public is invited to participate in Bald Eagle Watching Days on Saturday, Jan. 18 to celebrate the magnificence and resilience of bald eagles in Wisconsin. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
Looking for some winter-time wonder? Stop by the annual Bald Eagle Watching Days happening on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 in Sauk Prairie. All Bald Eagle Watching Days events are free and open to the public.
Bald eagle lovers can watch eagles soar above the Wisconsin River from a newly renovated overlook located at 490 Water St. in Prairie du Sac. Volunteers will be available at the overlook to answer questions and help visitors spot eagles from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Visitors can also enjoy live raptor shows in the River Arts Center of the Sauk Prairie High School, featuring educational birds and trainers from the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee, a screening of a recently recorded rehabilitated bald eagle release with a live expert Q&A session and more family-friendly activities. Full details are available on the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council website, including self-guided tours.
“Every once in a while, we need to take stock of how far we’ve come in the effort to conserve bald eagles,” said Sumner Matteson, DNR avian ecologist. “In 1974, there were only 107 breeding pairs in a handful of northern counties in Wisconsin. Fifty years later, we have around 1,700 pairs with bald eagles nesting in all 72 counties.”
Bald Eagle Watching Days celebrates eagles as they gather in winter areas, providing fantastic viewing opportunities as eagles from northern Wisconsin, Canada, northern Michigan and Minnesota move south in search of food. These raptors have a diet that includes both carrion and fish. When hunting for fish, they congregate in open water areas below dams along the Wisconsin, Mississippi and Fox rivers, where their growing presence has turned the sites into birdwatching destinations and inspired community events.
This event is cosponsored by Ferry Bluff Eagle Council, the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce, the DNR and the Tripp Museum in Prairie du Sac.
Eagle Watching Tips
The best time to see foraging eagles will be in the early morning (8-10 a.m.) as they depart their nighttime communal roosts to feed along the river and two hours before dusk as they return to their roosts.
When viewing eagles at these events or on your own, biologists advise onlookers not to venture too close as it will cause the eagles to fly off. Guests are encouraged to stay in their cars unless they are at a staffed viewing site.
To learn more about bald eagle watching, visit the DNR website.
2026 State Park And Forest 12-Month Vehicle Admission Pass
Design Contest Now Open
The DNR is now accepting artwork entries from high school students for the 2026 12-month Wisconsin state park and forest vehicle admission pass.
The annual DNR-sponsored design contest is open to all high school-age students in Wisconsin who attend public, private and parochial schools or are homeschooled. Artwork entries should focus on outdoor recreation, animals or plants in Wisconsin.
The vehicle admission passes provide access to more than 60 state park, forest and recreation area properties across Wisconsin. All motor vehicles entering state parks and recreation areas must have a vehicle admission pass. Some state forest and trail parking areas also require a pass.
Materials for the 2026 sticker design contest are now available, and students can submit entries through April 30, 2025.
Rules, submission guidelines, tips for a winning design and past sticker design winners are available on the DNR’s State Park Pass Design Contest webpage.
Whooo’s There? Finding Owls In Winter
When winter wraps its icy fingers around our state, a special visitor sometimes drops by — the snowy owl. After spending warmer months in the Arctic, snowy owls move south in winter in search of food, and lucky Wisconsinites might catch a glimpse.
The winter issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine has more on these “Winter wonderbirds.” With dazzling white feathers and striking yellow eyes, snowy owls show up in Wisconsin during most winters, sometimes in large numbers called an “irruption.”
The magazine has details on other owls in Wisconsin, too, along with tips for how to find them. Check out “A beginner’s guide to winter owling in Wisconsin” to learn more.
Owls can be elusive — more often heard than seen — but they might be easier to spot in winter when the terrain is snow-covered and trees are bare. With planning, patience and a bit of luck, you just might see whoooo’s there!
Find the owl stories and much more in the winter digital issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources. Or get the print magazine delivered directly to you, just $8.97 for four quarterly issues. Call 1-800-678-9472 to order, or go online to sign up, renew or give a gift subscription today.
Photo Credit: Arlene Koziol |
Help Stop The Spread Of Aquatic Invasive Species This Winter
Even in harsh winter conditions, anglers can transport aquatic invasive species and fish diseases from one lake or river to another by emptying water from bait buckets and fish containers.
A few minutes of preventative action practiced year-round can help preserve and protect waterways for generations to come.
Before leaving your fishing spots, remove any mud or plant material clinging to gear, including sleds used to haul supplies. Some invasive aquatic plants flourish under the ice, like curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil. Invasive critters like the spiny water flea larvae hide in the mud, and zebra mussels often hitch rides on plants.
Before and after you drop your line, protect our fishing future by doing your part to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Remember to:
- Inspect fishing equipment for attached aquatic plants, animals or mud
- Remove all attached plants or animals
- Drain all water from buckets, containers and gear
- Never move live fish away from a waterbody (fish out of water = dead)
- Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash
Additionally, the DNR encourages anglers to leave fishing gear where it can freeze for eight hours or more, as this will kill most species. Other methods to kill aquatic invasive species hiding in fishing gear are to steam clean the gear or to soak it in either 140 degree water or a bleach solution (2.44 tablespoons per gallon) for 10 minutes.
Other rules regarding bait can be found in the current Guide to Wisconsin Hook & Line Fishing Regulations. To learn more about invasive species and their impacts on Wisconsin’s waters and economy, visit the DNR’s Invasive Species webpage.
Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR |
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