Antigo daily journal
January 13, 2005
Antigo's Raptor Education Group International will be featured when Sauk City and Prairie du Sac hold their annual Bald Eagle Watching Days Saturday and Sunday.

Marge Gibson of Raptor Education Group will present live bird-of-prey shows and radio tracking of Sauk Prairie's eagles on Saturday and Sunday morning in the River Arts Center, located at the south end of Sauk Prairie High School, 105 Ninth St. There is limited seating for this event. Free tickets are available at the ticket booth at the River Arts Center.

A highlight of the eagle-watching weekend will be Gibson's planned release of rehabilitated eagles from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Park at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Food and beverages will be available at the park.

Eagle activities are planned throughout the weekend. Starting at 8 a.m. in the food court at Sauk Prairie High School, the Sauk Prairie Kiwanis will serve pancakes, pastries, coffee and beverages. Children's activities (face painting, crafts and storytelling) are available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and free guided eagle-viewing bus tours will depart on the half-hour between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Also, at the River Arts Center visitors can view eagle informational materials, exhibits and videos.

On Saturday evening WEAGLE Radio returns for a fourth year, bringing the "Eagle Home Companion'' radio spoof to life again. Tickets can be purchased at the River Arts Center.

The section of the Wisconsin River, just downstream from the dam at Prairie du Sac, is a winter gathering place for the United States' national symbol and offers one of the greatest concentrations of bald eagles in the state.

"The strong current below the Prairie du Sac dam keeps the river from freezing, allowing eagles access to fish ‹ their favorite food,'' Randy Jurewicz, endangered resources biologist for the Department of Natural Resources, said.

"In addition to good fishing, the area's bluffs and valleys provide shelter from severe weather and roosting habitat for the night,'' Jurewicz said. "Watching an eagle dive to pluck a fish out of the water is an amazing sight that I never tire of seeing.''

Spotting scopes will be available at the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council's Overlook, 540 Water St., in Prairie du Sac but if you have binoculars, bring 'em along advises Jurewicz.

Eagle watching days is sponsored by the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council and the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Endangered Resources.

For more information, contact the Sauk Prairie Chamber of Commerce, www.saukpairie.com (800) 683-2453.