Bald Eagle Watching Days

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DNR

The majestic bald eagle is drawn to the water near the hydropower dam at Prairie du Sac for feeding and the bluffs at Ferry Bluff for nesting. The birds roost there in great numbers, but Ferry Bluff Natural Area is closed to protect them during this time of year. Instead, take in the eagles from the river overlook at 490 Water St., take a bus tour (at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday; free but advance ticket required) from the River Arts Center, or enjoy other raptor programming on Saturday at RAC, the Tripp Museum and Ruth Culver Library. Organizers ask that eagle-watchers not walk along the river, especially at the dam; people on foot scare eagles. They suggest people remain in their cars, using it as a blind. And, we might add, it’s warmer in there. See the full schedule below and updates at ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org.

media release: RIVER ARTS CENTER, 105 9TH STREET, JAN 17, 2026

9 am: Lobby Open / Ticket Pick-up

9 am-3 pm: Exposition

9:30 am: Bus Tour #1

10-11:15 am: Live Birds of Prey by Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

11:30 am: Bus Tour #2

11:30-12:30 pm: “Laughing with Animals” by David Stokes

1:30 pm: Bus Tour #3

1:30-2:45 pm: Live Birds of Prey by Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

3:00-4:00 pm: Eagles in Wisconsin

3:30 pm: Bus Tour #4

Note: All shows and bus tours are FREE but a ticket is required.

Other activities/locations:

OVERLOOK, 490 WATER STREET

Jan 17, 2026: 8-4 pm: Eagle Viewing

Jan 18, 2026: 8-2 pm: Eagle Viewing

TRIPP MUSUEM, 565 WATER STREET

Jan 17, 2026: 9-4 pm: Bird Collection;  12:00-1:00 pm: “Native American History and the Spirit of the Bald Eagle” by Art and Dawn Shegonee

RUTH CULVER LIBRARY, 540 WATER STREET

Jan 17, 2026: 12:30-2:30 pm Kids Activities

from the DNR:

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites the public to participate in the annual Bald Eagle Watching Days happening on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Sauk Prairie. All Bald Eagle Watching Days events are free and open to the public.

Bald eagle lovers can watch eagles soar above the Wisconsin River from a newly renovated overlook located at 490 Water St. in Prairie du Sac. Volunteers from the DNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation Bureau will be available at the overlook to answer questions and help visitors spot eagles from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors can also enjoy live raptor shows in the River Arts Center of the Sauk Prairie High School, featuring educational birds and trainers from the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee, a screening of a recently recorded rehabilitated bald eagle release with a live expert Q&A session and more family-friendly activities. Full details are available on the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council website, including self-guided tours.

"Bald Eagle Watching Days is a great opportunity for us to reflect on how far we’ve come in the effort to conserve bald eagles," said Sumner Matteson, DNR avian ecologist. "In 1974, there were only 107 breeding pairs in a handful of northern counties in Wisconsin. Fifty years later, we have around 1,700 pairs with bald eagles nesting in all 72 counties."

Bald Eagle Watching Days celebrates eagles as they gather in winter areas, providing fantastic viewing opportunities as eagles from northern Wisconsin, Canada, northern Michigan and Minnesota move south in search of food. These raptors have a diet that includes both carrion and fish. When hunting for fish, they congregate in open-water areas below dams along the Wisconsin, Mississippi and Fox rivers, where their growing presence has turned the sites into bird-watching destinations and inspired community events.

This event is cosponsored by Ferry Bluff Eagle Council, the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce, the DNR and the Tripp Museum in Prairie du Sac.

Eagle watching continues at the overlook on Sunday, Jan. 18, with volunteers available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Eagle Watching Tips

The best time to see foraging eagles will be in the early morning (8-10 a.m.) as they depart their nighttime communal roosts to feed along the river and two hours before dusk as they return to their roosts.

When viewing eagles at these events or on your own, biologists advise onlookers not to venture too close, as it will cause the eagles to fly off. Guests are encouraged to stay in their cars unless they are at a staffed viewing site.

To learn more about bald eagle watching, visit the DNR website.

Support Endangered Resources Conservation

Show your love for bald eagles with an Endangered Resources license plate. These specialty plates include an annual $25 donation to the Endangered Resources Fund. Such donations support DNR conservation efforts for more than 400 wildlife species and 300 plant species listed as endangered, threatened or special concern, along with work to conserve and maintain many of Wisconsin’s natural areas.