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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it