Local Column River Currents 12-21-09 Eagles in the Wisconsin River Valleys
gengberg December 21st, 2009
River Currents Now’s the Time for Eagle Viewing in the Wisconsin River Valley
America’s symbol, the bald eagle, has been a winter-time visitor to the Lower Wisconsin River area for years since its remarkable recovery from DDT in the 1970’s. 
These magnificent birds have been wintering in the valleys of the Wisconsin River and the Sauk Prairie area since their amazing comeback. Eagle’s winter in this part of Wisconsin for these reasons; the open water of the River doesn’t freeze during the cold weather, an abundant food supply of fish, and good roosting locations in the large trees and valleys that surround the area. These trees and valleys allow the eagles to get out of the wind and cold of harsh Wisconsin winters.
Normally, the eagles work their way down to our area from northern Wisconsin and beyond during the later part of November and into the early part of December. The birds fly south as the lakes and rivers of the north freeze and winter takes hold of their nesting areas and summer homes. This is usually a gradual process where the eagles slowly filter south to locations with open water, habitat, and food. 
The valleys of the Lower Wisconsin River have everything that the birds could possibly during these critical months of winter.
A local “grassroots” organization, the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council, (www.ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org) has worked the last twenty plus years to “protect, enhance, and maintain Bald Eagle habitat in the Sauk Prairie area through education, research, and management activities.” The organization does eagle counts during the winter to see the number of eagles in the area, helps rehab injured and sick eagles, give informational talks, works on land use issues, and radio collars birds to follow their movements while in the Sauk-Prairie area. One of the most important issues is to see what the eagle’s habitat requirements are when faced with the continued growth and expansion that is occurring in this area.
It will be interesting to see if man and the eagles can co-exist during these times when good habitat is at a premium.
The FBEC begins their eagle roost counts the first weekend in December. There are 10 different roost sites located between Spring Green and Sauk City. These sites are monitored bi-weekly during the winter by the group’s volunteers, who despite the cold of winter spend 2 to 3 hours on Sundays counting the eagles at the roost locations. The first count this year was December 6th and there were 58 eagles counted at all the roosts. The eagles are broken down into mature and immature birds. It takes about 4 or 5 years for the eagles to mature and have their head’s turn white.
The early part of this month was normal with little if any snow cover on the ground. During these early counts, most of the eagles are situated downriver at some of the off river sites like Lone Rock. This is where a vast majority of the eagles were during this year’s first count. But, then the first major winter storm of the year hit most of Wisconsin with deep snow followed by frigid temperatures. The snow covered up anything on the ground that the birds might have been foraging for food and froze most waters except rivers with a constant current or flow. In a day or two after the storm, the Sauk-Prairie area was “flooded” with eagles coming to the open water, food, and roosts of the area. The number of eagles in the river roosts and near the Prairie du Sac Dam increased dramatically after the winter storm. Suddenly, there were eagles everywhere and Eagle Island, right in the Wisconsin River between the neighboring towns of Sauk City and Prairie du Sac, had over 30 eagles resting in the trees during the middle of the day! Since then, I see eagles’ everyday along the River and in the many secluded river valleys in Dane, Sauk, and Iowa Counties. Living on the Wisconsin River allows me to regularly view and photograph these wonderful and majestic birds of prey. I’ve woken mornings with eagles roosting in my backyard and swooping down to catch their breakfast as I watched or scrambled to find a camera.
Besides, the growth and expansion in the immediate area there also is another problem that has arisen. The main eagle food is fish and in the river the fish is mainly gizzard shad. These fish are an invasive in our waters, but they have made up a large portion of the fish bio-mass in the river for years. But, due to poor recruitment, high water, and cold weather has the gizzard shad numbers at an all-time low. Gen Van Dyke, the DNR Fisheries Manager for the area, said that it may take years for the shad numbers to rebound or they could rebound quickly. According to Van Dyke, the Fisheries expert, no really knows when this may happen. I’m not sure if there are other fish species that can fill the gap left by the loss of the shad and this may determine how many eagles stay here for the winter. The eagles may migrate to other locations like the Mississippi River for the winter if the food supply is limited. Only time will tell!
But, in the mean time, this is a wonderful time to visit the Sauk-Prairie area to view bald eagles. If the food supply remains stable and the new buildings in town and the surrounding area don’t “spook” the eagles, they hopefully will always make this region their winter home. Though, most eagles come from hundreds of miles away there are now a few pairs that nest on the Wisconsin River and make this their year-round home. The eagles that nest here have successfully hatched eaglets the last few years which is encouraging.
The Ferry Bluff Eagle Council along with the Sauk Prairie Chamber of Commerce, Wisconsin DNR, Alliant Energy, and many other sponsors will be having their 23rd Bald Eagle Watching Days this coming January 15 and 16. There are activities for the entire family including; eagle watching bus tours, children activities with the DNR, a Birds of Prey presentation with live birds, and much more. This is a great opportunity for the entire family to get together and see and learn about the bald eagle. The eagle watching bus tours continue into January and February weekends. The Sauk Prairie Chamber of Commerce can be contacted at 1-(800)-683-2453 or www.saukprairie.com for any information on this event.
Now is a wonderful time to come to Sauk-Prairie and view the wintering bald eagles. The eagles are now here and the map provided on the Chamber website or the FBEC website can show locations where eagle viewing is possible. But, remember to stay in your cars and don’t spook the eagles into flying off their roosts and using the energy that they need for winter survival.
This past weekends eagle count will soon be posted on my website, www.garyengbergoutdoors.com, and you may always contact me for up to date information on the bald eagle in southern Wisconsin.
