Western Illinois Eagle Watching
The biggest draw to western Illinois tourism has to be the Mississippi river and all the attractions connected with it. At this time of year there is a lot of time spent around the locks and dams viewing the bald headed eagles. With the river mostly frozen the water coming through the dams does not allow the ice to form. This water movement also causes the fish in the river to come to the surface. This becomes a perfect hunting ground for the eagle to find his lunch. In some of these areas there have been as many as three hundred eagles spotted at one time. The eagle population has been increasing in the past decade and the big birds have been removed from the endangered species list. The immature eagles are sometimes missed as they do not have the distinctive white head and tail. The immature eagles are more gray than black and are smaller in size. If you find one of the viewing areas that have been built just for eagle watching, that is the best place to be. Lone viewers often startle the eagles as they are trying to approach for a better look causing the birds to fly off.
