6TH Annual Wintering Golden Eagle Survey of the Bluffs and Coulee Region of the Upper Mississippi River Watershed
When: Saturday, January 16, 2010
Where: Routes in southeast Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and northeast Iowa
Who: All skill levels welcome. You can be partnered up with an experienced observer and/or training sessions/ field trips will be held at the National Eagle Center prior to the count.
The National Eagle Center located in Wabasha Minnesota will be
hosting several seminars/field trips on how to identify golden eagles
that winter in our area. Participants will start out at the National
Eagle Center in a classroom setting with instruction from National
Eagle Center Education Director Scott Mehus. Scott is considered the
area expert on golden eagles and has been watching and studying them in
this area for over fifteen years. Scott is also a co-lead researcher
on a wintering golden eagle study being done in the area. Up close and
personal views of Donald the NEC‘s golden eagle will be of help in the
identification process. Participants will then car pool out into the
neighboring valleys and use the identification skills gained in the
classroom to identify golden eagles in the wild. The seminars/field
trips will be cancelled due to heavy snow, but sporadic light snow and
extreme cold will not cancel the event. Please call the NEC at
651-565-4989 ext. 101 for cancellation notices.
The classroom session will last approximately one hour and then one to
two hours will be spent on the field trip. Participants can drive
there own vehicle and break off at anytime. There will be minimal
hiking, most of the time will be spent driving the valleys where golden
eagles frequent and then stopping when a golden eagle is spotted and
getting out of the vehicles to observe the birds through binoculars and
spotting scopes. Participants should bring binoculars (the NEC has
some to borrow if you do not have any) and a spotting scope if you have
one, field trip leaders will have spotting scopes to look through
though. Participants should dress for the weather.
Normal admission rates to the NEC include participation in the
seminar/field trip, admission to one of the NEC’s daily educational
programs at 11, 1 or 3:00, viewing the eagle education ambassadors on
display, and touring the two floors of displays and exhibits. Advance
reservation is preferred, but all are welcome. For further questions
or to reserve a spot, please call 651-565-4989 ext.101.
For more information contact: Scott Mehus at (651) 565-4989 ext. 101 or scott@nationaleaglecenter.org
