We go Eagle watching pretty much every year, at least. Last Friday we went out for the first time this winter. Just a quick run up the Great River Road from Alton to Grafton and Pere Marquette State Park. Then back, with a lunch stop in Grafton, and a pass through Audubon Center at Riverlands.
We only saw 1 eagle, and not in a manner to grab a photo. But that's ok. Good company, nice meal at Grafton Winery & Brewhaus. And a few photos (but no Eagles).
Here's a few photos:
Sunday was a great day for Eagle watching. Not a pretty day, 8 degrees (F) with a wind chill of -16 (F). Grey and trying to snow. But we saw lots of eagles, and they were very active. I didn't actually count, but I'm guessing 2-3 dozen easily.Here's the best (or at lest my favorite) photo:
Taken along the Great River Road, just a bit north of Alton. There were 4 eagles hanging around this particular bit of open water. This one cooperated with a nice pose.
Or even this juvenile, who was circling around just below the Alton locl and dam, with 5 or 6 friends.
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Of course, the reality it that photo is far from typical. The photo below is more normal. Taken on the upstram side of Alton loack nd dam, that's the point of Ellis Island:
Yep, there's 5 eagles in this photo. The trees with the 2 eagles are about 750 yards away from our vantage point. See below:
Now, it would be cool to have the kind of lens that gets you the really stunning photos. Lenses like these:
Yeah, I'm envious, but I'd have to win the lottery twice.
So, last Sunday, my daughter texted me that her family had seen eagles at Ellis Island that day, and that they were arriving back in the area. So my wife and I decided to do an eagle watching outing the next day.
Of course Monday dawned socked in by fog. But we decided to head out, with the expectation that the fog would lift as the day progressed. When we arrived at Ellis Island, it was thicker yet, no chance to see much of anything. We took the opportunity to fill up with some Missouri gas (which is $0.20/ gallon less than Illinois due to taxes), bounce back across the Alton Bridge, and decided to head up the Great River Road and see if we could see anything.
When we got to Pere Marquette State Park, we could see across the Illinois River to the far shore, which was an improvement. And we did see one juvenile Bald Eagle. It was hanging out in a tree by the river, but as we got close, it took off, did a circle over the river, and returned to the tree. So I was able to get a series of decent photos:
So it wasn't a total loss, and we enjoyed the time.
Yesterday was bright and sunny and warmer (high 40;s), so my son and I headed back over to Ellis Island for a hike. We did see 1 eagle; passing by high overhead. I took a quick shot just to prove it was there:
I'll declare Eagle season open!
