Outdoors Headlines
- An Outdoorsman’s Journal: A Long Day on the Job
- Nature Notes from the Brillion Nature Center
- Outdoors with Bob: Higher temps could make lake access difficult
- Outdoors with Bob: Longest sturgeon record remains intact
- An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Youthful Opportunities
- Outdoors with Bob: A successful sturgeon season in 2010
- Additional income available for landowners who lease hunting land
- An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Ice Camp on the Trempealeau River Bottoms
- Spotting Eagles at the Brillion Nature Center
- Public hearing to be held on Feb. 23 to discuss breakwater construction on Winnebago
Local Weather for Chilton
| Spotting Eagles at the Brillion Nature Center |
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| Written by Times-Journal |
| Thursday, 04 February 2010 14:53 |
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When visitors stop in at the nature center in the summer and tell me, excitedly, that they spotted an eagle off the marsh overlook platform, I can almost guarantee that what they have in fact spotted was an osprey. Everyone thinks they have at some time seen an eagle…until…they finally, actually see one. Those who have seen a mature bald eagle in the wild know that the immensity, power, and majesty of this bird in flight will literally take one’s breath away. They are that beautiful – not to mention, that unforgettable! I will always remember the first wild eagle I ever saw. Unlike the one I found perched on a dead log at the zoo, this one was in full flight, heading directly toward my car as I drove down highway 10 in central Wisconsin. With towering red pines thickly lining both sides of the road, the ten-foot-wingspan seemed to reach from one side of the road to the other. The stark, white feathers of the head contrasting with the black feathers of the body and wings left no doubt as to the identity of the bird. Approximately fifty feet from my windshield, the raptor adjusted its wings and gracefully soared up and over my car. The image is still burned in my memory seventeen years later as one of the greatest wild moments of my experience. A couple of years later, I was treated to a rare sight as another bald eagle flew down from its perch on a telephone pole to the shoulder of 7th Ave. in suburban South St. Paul, MN to make short work of a road-kill raccoon. While I fully acknowledge that watching our national symbol partake in carrion cuisine doesn’t inspire the kind of awe that comes with gazing up at a soaring eagle, I was still greatly impressed with the bird’s size and strength. Apparently, so were the people in the other four cars that had pulled over to the side of the road to watch the eagle eat. Spotting bald eagles in winter is much more common than summer since their need for food forces them to take advantage of meals found some distance away from their favorite rivers and other bodies of water. They are often seen flying, perching, or eating near the side of the road. Several people in the last two weeks have reported seeing eagles in the Brillion area. Keep your eyes open and maybe you, too, will be lucky enough to see a wonder of nature well worth watching. Program Notes Tree Tapping Day With the ground still covered in a snowy blanket and a nippy chill in the air, we are preparing for the March thaw which will bring the first run of sweet sap in the maple trees. Volunteers will head out to the sugarbush with hammers and spiles to tap the trees in preparation for this year’s syrup season. For more information on this activity or to volunteer with any aspect of “sugaring”, contact naturalist Louie Kolberg at 756-3591.
Winter Wonders Snowshoe Hike Beat cabin fever by getting out of the house for a winter hike on snowshoes. We’ll look at the wonders of winter as we search for evidence of active wildlife and enjoy the signs of the season. Please register in advance. Snowshoe rental: Members/$3, Non-Members/$5. 
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