Plan now to attend the Sixth Annual Bald Eagle Watching Day on Saturday, March 7 in Ferryville at the Village Community Center located on Highway 35, ‘The Great River Road.’
This program is sponsored by the Ferryville Tourism Council and is free to the public. It is co-sponsored this year by the Friends of Pool 9. It is always a tremendous ‘plus’ to be co-sponsored by our ‘Friends of Pool 9,’ an organization that does so much in our area to preserve and protect our environment and the Mississippi River Region of Pool 9.
Event activities are from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Doors open at 10 a.m.) There are exciting opportunities to see and learn about bald eagles plus enjoy refreshments. In addition, there will be free children’s craft activities throughout the event. Ferryville, located right on the Mississippi River, is an ideal place to host Bald Eagle Day. There are many eagle nests in the area and the Pool 9 section has more nests than in any other part of the Mississippi River.
Fantastic live Bald Eagle Programs will be at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. featuring eagles from the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota. Learn how the bald eagles have returned to this area in increasing numbers and what you can do to support this effort to help our eagles flourish.
The University of Minnesota Raptor Center is back for the fifth year with raptors and an eagle. You can take photos of the eagles and other raptors and have your photo taken with our wonderful national symbol. Returning for the fourth year in a row is ‘Lois, The Owl.’ Lois loves an audience and will fly about the room during her segment of the raptor presentation. Maybe you can even hear her ‘hoot.’ She has been on a diet so flying is once again a pleasure for her.
Local photographic artist, Larry Knutson, will be exhibiting his award winning art, featuring scenes of nature, eagles and the area. Knutson is a native of Ferryville and the region. His art is well known throughout the Driftless Region and this is an opportunity to meet him in person.
At 10:30 a.m. Upper Mississippi River U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff member Lisa Maas, McGregor District, will present a fascinating program about birds and waterfowl of our refuge (right here where we all live). This is an excellent opportunity for children and school youth as well as adults to learn more about the importance in this region. This program is interactive as well as educational as you learn about our national symbol, the American Bald Eagle.
11:10 a.m. – New – ‘Chris West Presents our Birds.’ Chris is a guide on the Mississippi Explorer and also an avid ‘birder.’
Noon & 2 p.m. University of Minnesota presents Live Eagle and Raptor Programs
Are you a great ‘Hooter?’ At 1 p.m., there is a ‘Hooting Contest’ for folks of all ages with awards in each of the four age categories. (Under 5 years old, age 5-11, age 12-18, age 19 and up) Practice up and see if you are one of the champions at hooting!
Bald Eagle Nest Building: At 1:30 p.m., Dr. Michael White will build a bald eagle nest with the help of children and youth in the audience. Learn how “really big” these nests are, how heavy they are and how they are constructed.
DeSoto Middle School students, St. Charles Middle School students from Genoa, and Seneca Middle School students are participating in a display of art and science projects that educate about bald eagles. Kathy Schwarz, a middle school teacher at DeSoto, Tom Stingl, a middle school art teach of DeSoto, art teacher Meg Buchner of St. Charles Middle School and Cody Sime of the Seneca Middle School are all working with the Ferryville Tourism Council to create this exhibit as part of the day’s activities. Students compete for awards which will be for: Category 1 – Creativity, Category 2 – Informative, Category 3 – Judges Choice and Category 4 – Most Artistic. Student teams will receive trophies to recognize their scholastic achievements at the awards ceremony at 1 p.m.
Do you love treats, especially eagle and owl cookies, hot chocolate, coffee or Kickapoo Orchards Cider? Be sure to enjoy these on your visit to Ferryville’s Bald Eagle Day festivities. Local restaurants are featuring special items just for Bald Eagle Day. It is ‘Bald is Beautiful Day’ at the Wooden Nickel plus they have their new Bleu Cheese Eagle Burger w/chips, Swing Inn has soup and sloppy joes and Ferryville Cheese has free coffee with purchase of breakfast sandwich so check out the specials. Other merchants have plans for you also. You are all invited to join in the fun.
This is a ‘must attend’ event on Saturday, March 7, 2015 so spend a beautiful Wisconsin day enjoying the great outdoors, be with us at our Bald Eagle Watching Day and look along the river for sightings of bald eagles.
For additional information, go to the Ferryville Tourism Council website at www.visitferryville.com. For Facebook, check us out at www.facebook.com/ferryvillewi.
