Now is the Perfect Time to go Eagle Watching!

If you’re tired of doing the “same-old, same-old” every weekend, grab a friend or family member and hop in the car and head towards Alton.  It’s eagle watching time!

About 4 years ago, I had the unbelievable luck to have 2 eagles visit my home and roost in my cottonwood tree.  It was an amazing sight! I was taking out the trash and was shocked to see the blazing white heads of a pair of eagles. They were hanging out in my massive cottonwood tree, enjoying the view. 

I slowly backed inside to grab my camera (hoping that the battery had enough life in it to snap off a ton of photos!) and stood in my driveway, snapping picture after picture for about 5 minutes.  The experience was a once-in-a-lifetime event and I felt so honored to have seen our national bird up close.  I was hoping to recreate that memory on this trip with George.

George and I had planned to go watch the eagles last weekend, but had to cancel the outing because it was just too warm. Eagles like to fly when the temperatures are below freezing and when there’s ice on the waterways.  

However, Saturday was perfect.  We had clear skies, cool temperatures, there was a crispness to the air, so we hopped in my trusty SUV and headed east.  We had our binoculars, warm clothes, coffee and gluten-free Amaretti cookies.

My husband and I went to Alton to watch the eagles years ago and had good luck with a particular spot.  I hoped that it would yield our first glimpse of the majestic bird.  Before you approach the Alton Bridge there is a gas station on the right side of the road.  My husband and I would take that road all the way until it ended.  There’s a large area of forest and many places for eagles to roost and catch fish. 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t an eagle to be seen.  We backed around and headed to Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary.  It’s a lovely building and you’ll find all kind of birds eating at the feeders.  An eagle watcher had set up a telescope on the deck and we saw our first eagle.  Ah, the joy of seeing the national bird!  But, we wanted more- one is never enough.  It was back in the car to do some scouting. 

The interesting thing about eagle watching is, if you follow other bird-watchers you’ll find out where the eagles are.  Especially if you follow birdwatchers being driven around on the Alton Trolley. 

The trolley drives around eagle territory, full of people who want to see eagles.  And, the people DO see eagles.  The guy who leads the tour pulled the trolley off the road numerous times to show the group where the eagles were.  By following him we saw an eagle sitting on the frozen waterway.  He also took us through a small field to view an enormous nest. 

When I say it’s huge, I mean it.  Instead of using grass and twigs, the eagle nest was built of branches.  The type of branches you pay your landscape guy to put through his chipper/shredder machine.  If you told me that the nest was 15 feet wide, I’d believe you.  We continued to follow the  trolley back to Alton.  Unfortunately, it was 2 o’clock and the end of the trolley ride.  Now, we were on our own.

On the east side of the bridge we pulled off in a parking lot because we saw a huge number of large birds in trees on the bluffs.  Grabbing our binoculars, we rushed to identify the national bird.  Well, it wasn’t the national bird, they were vultures. Big, red-headed nasty looking Turkey vultures.  A few had their wings spread wide open and were sunning themselves. 

When I got home I found out that their wingspan can reach 72”.  Now, that’s massive!  I guess people thought we knew what we were doing, because they began following us.  By the time we figured out it was a flock of vultures, 5 or 6 cars pulled in behind us.  It was pretty comical!

Alton is George’s stomping ground.  We drove to his favorite place in Alton, a statue erected in honor of Elijah Lovejoy.  Elijah was a newspaper journalist and an abolitionist.  A local mob, hostile to his anti-slavery musings in his newspaper, killed him in 1837 and dragged him and his printing press into the river. 

At the top of a steep brick hill, next to the cemetery, there is a stunning statue flanked by 2 large eagle statues.  So, if you don’t see eagles on the river, you can drive to the spot where Elijah is remembered and take a photo of the sculpture!  You can visit him in the cemetery, too.  Bet you didn’t expect to get a history lesson in addition to finding out the best spots to see eagles, did you?

Since we couldn’t follow the trolley anymore, we took a different route and tried to find an eagle nest that George remembered from a few years ago.  He remembered that it was right along the roadway (I must mention that there is NO shoulder on this roadway) and cars would stop to take photos of the adults feeding the eagle babies.  It seemed downright dangerous to me, and we never did find that nest. 

But, we found another nest that George will check when he’s in the area.  Hopefully, an eagle pair will call it home and we’ll have a reason to come back in the spring.

After seeing what Alton had to offer, we headed west to make one last loop in search of the elusive eagles.  First stop, Alton’s lock and dam.  Nothing.  Back in the car.  Next stop, the visitors center.  Nothing.  Back in the car. 

At the last stop, victory was ours!  A large crowd filled the parking lot at Ellis Island. About 50 people with telescopes and binoculars had gathered to view over a hundred Trumpeter swans, a gaggle of Canadian geese, a flock of Snow geese and TWO Bald eagles!  Our last stop was a raging success! 

If you’re lucky, the guy with the awesome Swarovski telescope will be there and let you take a peek.  It was a stunning sight of two Bald eagles, hanging out in a cottonwood tree.  The day ended on a high note.  We saw a total of 7 eagles, two huge eagle nests, Elijah Lovejoy’s resting place, 15 Turkey vultures and a 20 foot tall inflatable eagle. 

All in all, it was a great way to spend a winter’s day with a good friend!