PRAIRIE DU SAC, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is inviting the public to take part in this year’s Bald Eagle Watching Days on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Sauk Prairie.

All events are free and open to the public. Eagle watchers can view bald eagles along the Wisconsin River from a newly renovated overlook at 490 Water St. in Prairie du Sac. Volunteers from the DNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation Bureau will be stationed at the overlook from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to answer questions and help visitors spot eagles.

Additional activities are planned at the River Arts Center inside Sauk Prairie High School, including live raptor shows featuring educational birds and trainers from the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee. The schedule also includes a screening of a recently recorded bald eagle release, followed by a live question-and-answer session with an expert, along with other family-friendly activities. Full event details, including self-guided tour information, are available on the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council website.

“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.”

The annual event highlights the winter gathering of bald eagles, which creates prime viewing opportunities as birds from northern Wisconsin, Canada, northern Michigan and Minnesota move south in search of food. Bald eagles feed on fish and carrion and often congregate near open water below dams along the Wisconsin, Mississippi and Fox rivers. Those areas have become popular bird-watching destinations and the inspiration for community events like Bald Eagle Watching Days.

The event is co-sponsored by the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council, the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce, the DNR and the Tripp Museum in Prairie du Sac.

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

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