Celebrate the eagles of the Fox River Valley on Saturday, January 21. Winter is a perfect time to see eagles in the wild as they congregate to feed near the open waters at dams along the Fox River and on open spots on lakes. An In Search of Eagles outdoor event will be held at four sites on Saturday morning.
In Search of Eagles will be held from 8 to 10 am at the McHenry Dam, the Algonquin Dam and the Carpentersville Dam on the Fox River in Illinois and at the Williams Bay Boat Launch on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin. Representatives from Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, Geneva Lake Environmental Agency, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Kettle Moraine Land Trust, McHenry County Conservation District, McHenry County Audubon and Friends of Moraine Hills State Park will help search for eagles and identify other birds using the river and the lake. Attendees are asked to dress for the weather and to bring their own binoculars if they have a pair, but binoculars are not needed to enjoy seeing birds in the wild. Detailed maps to all locations can be found at tinyurl.com/InSearchofEagles2023 .
There will be scopes and binoculars available for use at each location, along with guided activities for children. Visit the site closest to you or visit them all! This is a free all-ages event. No registration is required. If you have any concerns on Saturday morning about the weather, please call the Friends of Hackmatack phone line at (262) 448-3558 where there will be a message regarding the status of the event.
In addition to the outdoors events planned for January 21, the cooperating organizations are asking area residents to report where they are seeing eagles throughout January and February. Sightings are being collected at tinyurl.com/eaglesightings as a resource for people who want to go out looking for eagles on their own. Sightings and photos can be shared to the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge Facebook page at facebook.com/FriendsHackmatackNWR or at eBird.orgor emailed to friendsofhackmatacknwr@gmail.com.