Eagles back in Northern Illinois

They're beautiful and graceful as they glide over the Mississippi River looking for food on a cold winter's day. Many people wait expectantly to see them each year. Eagles are usually the target of interested eyes, but that interest picks up as Bald Eagle Days gets under way Jan. 9-Jan. 11. The celebration will be held at the QCCA Expo Center, 2621 Fourth Ave., Rock Island. New this year are Friday hours, which will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Additional hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Those attending will find live eagle programs and birds of prey shows brought in by the World Bird Sanctuary of St. Louis. Other things to look for are fine art exhibits, part of a wildlife art show and sale, a 20-foot climbing wall, working robot demonstrations, and information booths. Also on the list of events are 40 animals from the Quad Cities Naibi Zoo and a lumberjack demonstration in the auditorium. There'll be chainsaw carving, log rolling and ax throwing. For those who want to see the eagles for themselves, there will be spotting-scope viewing, offered by the Quad City Audubon Society, at Sunset Marina, 31st Avenue and Mississippi River, in Rock Island. Later in the month, the Mississippi Valley Welcome Center in LeClaire, Iowa, will have its own Bald Eagle Watch Jan. 24 and Jan. 25. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park rangers will show slides and there will be spotting scopes set up for public viewing. The best viewing spots in the Quad Cities are Lock and Dam 14 at Pleasant Valley Iowa, and Hampton; down the river from Lock and Dam 15 in Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island; Sunset Park in Rock Island, and Credit Island in Davenport. For Sauk Valley area eagle-watchers, there's an even closer spot and that's in Fulton. The 25th annual Bald Eagle Watch has viewing from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 3 at Lock and Dam 13, 5 miles north of Fulton, off state Route 84. Educational programs and environmental exhibits will be available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Clinton Community College, 1000 Lincoln Blvd., Clinton, Iowa. A complete program schedule can be found in the Dec. 20 Sauk Valley Weekend community pages. A free bus shuttle from the college to the lock and dam is offered from 8:30 to 3:30 p.m., leaving the college every half hour. Visitors are urged to use this service due to limited parking space at the lock. The choices are numerous for those who love to watch the eagles. Travelers also can see eagles on their own along both the Rock and Mississippi rivers. Eagle-watching events Jan. 3 - Lock and Dam 13, state Route 84, Fulton, and Clinton Community College, 1000 Lincoln Blvd., Clinton, Iowa; 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the lock and dam and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the college. Guests are requested to use the free shuttle service from the college to the lock and dam. Call 815-259-3628 or 563-244-7001 for information. Jan. 9-11 - QCCA Expo Center, 2621 Fourth Ave., Rock Island; 4-8 p.m. Jan. 9, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 10 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 11. Cost at the center is $4 for adults and $1 for children. Eagle-watching with spotting scopes available at Sunset Marina, 31st Avenue and Mississippi River, Rock Island. For information, call 309-788-5912. Jan. 24-25 - Bald Eagle Watch, Mississippi Valley Welcome Center, Intersection of Interstate 80 and Mississippi River; open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For information, call 800-747-7800.