Bald eagle watch is on in Iowa

CORALVILLE — Majestic bald eagles have once again congregated along Iowa's waterways creating opportunities for the public to find a perch to watch the creatures.

This time of year, prime spots to observe eagles can be found in places with open water, such as below the Coralville Dam, said Karen Disbrow, president of the Iowa City Bird Club. The last few times she was there she saw six to 12 eagles, she said.

'There's always eagles there because it is a good place to catch fish,' she said. 'You can get a good close-up view of eagles.'

There are several eagle watch events scheduled in Eastern Iowa this time of year, including the fourth annual free Bald Eagle Watch and Expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, which Disbrow helped organize along with the Army Corps of Engineers and Coralville Lake. The event takes place at two locations: a live viewing below the dam and a series of indoor events and an expo at North Central Junior High, 180 E. Forevergreen Road in North Liberty.

For Disbrow, she said being able to observe the national bird stirs feelings. In the 1980s, eagles were on the verge of extinction thanks to DDT, an insecticide that robbed eggs of calcium causing them to get crushed, she said.

'It is very emotional,' she said. 'They came back from the brink of extinction. The only reason we still have them is because they live long, over 40 years, some live longer.'

Eagles take five years to develop the bright white head feathers offsetting the deep brown feathers on the body, so the eagles may have different coloring, she said.

For the event, the watch site will be at the Coralville Lake below the dam in the picnic shelter area at Tailwater West. Scopes and binoculars will be available for closer looks at the birds. Free hot chocolate and coffee also will be available.

Indoor events at the junior high include the film, 'Listen to the Eagle,' at 10:30 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. Iowa authors and nature photographers Linda and Robert Scarth will give a presentation about eagles and other raptors at 11:30 a.m. and Shawn Hawks, of the Iowa Raptor Project, will bring a live owl for a presentation about owls at 1:30 p.m.

Several exhibitors also will be on hand, including naturalists from Cedar, Iowa and Johnson County conservation boards, Iowa Wildlife Federation, The Songbird Project, Iowa Audubon, Iowa Ornithologists' Union, the Iowa City Bird Club, the Wild Life Diversity Program, Iowa Raptor Center and the Raptor Advocacy Rehabilitation and Education Group.

Bald Eagle watching is a popular activity in Iowa, particularly along the Mississippi River, 'drawing tens of thousands tourists' each year, according to the Corps. The Corps reports 2,500 bald eagles winter along the Mississippi near the lock and dams where they find a bounty of fish to hunt, and the trees along the bluffs create ideal areas for roosting.

Bald eagles are most common in Iowa in January and February although the wintering season is mid-December to early March, according to the Corps.

'As warm weather arrives, most eagles will begin their journey back north to northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Canada to prepare for the nesting season,' the Corps website states.

IF YOU GO

What: Bald Eagle Watch and Expo

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4

Eagle Watch: Takes place at the Tailwater West Picnic Shelter downstream from the dam at Coralville Lake. To access the site, take I-80 to exit 244. Turn north on Dubuque Street and continue 3 miles to West Overlook Road. Turn right and proceed 1/4 mile to the park entrance.

Expo takes place at North Central Junior High, 180 E. Forevergreen Road, North Liberty.

Info: Call the Coralville Lake office at (319) 338-3543, extension 6300, or visit coralvillelake.org.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com