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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: *Jan. 8, 2026
*Contact: *DNR Office of Communications
[email protected] <[email protected]>

Visit Bald Eagle Watching Days In Sauk Prairie Jan. 17

"All Events Are Free And Open To The Public"
A bald eagle soars in a blue sky.

The public is invited to participate in Bald Eagle Watching Days on Saturday, Jan. 17 to celebrate the magnificence and resilience of bald eagles in Wisconsin. / Photo Credit: Ryan Brady

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MADISON, Wis.* – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites the public to participate in the annual Bald Eagle Watching Days [ [link removed] ] happening on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, 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 from the DNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation Bureau will be available at the overlook to answer questions and help visitors spot eagles from 8 a.m. to 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 [ [link removed] ], including self-guided tours [ [link removed] ].

"Bald Eagle Watching Days is a great opportunity for us to reflect on 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 bird-watching 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 continues at the overlook on Sunday, Jan. 18, with volunteers available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

*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 [ [link removed] ].

*Support Endangered Resources Conservation*

Show your love for bald eagles with an Endangered Resources license plate. These specialty plates include an annual $25 donation to the Endangered Resources Fund [ [link removed] ]. Such donations support DNR conservation efforts for more than 400 wildlife species and 300 plant species listed as endangered, threatened or special concern, along with work to conserve and maintain many of Wisconsin’s natural areas.







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This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources · 101 S. Webster Street · Madison, WI 53707-7921 · 608-266-2621 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]
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