An Eagle Fan in Wisconsin: Not a joke
January 22, 2011 at 12:43 am 1 comment
Go Eagles!
What are you crazy!
Not those Eagles, but the REAL eagles of Wisconsin.
Last Saturday, I took 40 kids and parents on a chartered bus to Eagle Days in Sauk City. It was a good day. When nature puts on a show, there is nothing better.
Open water below the dam attracts eagles from the north. Eagles fish here until northern lakes thaw.
We saw at least 30 eagles. Most were flying near the dam at Prairie du Sac. We saw at least 8 eagles perched in the trees near the shore and many more flying over the water. Unlike other years, it was easy to see them. We didn’t have to strain to see their white heads across the river.
Everyone’s head was pasted to the windows of the bus looking and talking.
“That one is diving for a fish!”
“Look there’s another one.”
We probably could have stayed longer than we did, but we were on a schedule.
The trip went very well, but as always, there’s room for improvement.
1) Have parents pay a deposit for the trip: 20 people who signed up didn’t show. I think it’s because we didn’t charge anything. We received a grant to take the trip so that’s nice, but some people take advantage of this.
2) Try to schedule the bird of prey show for next year: Due to scheduling, we missed the bird of prey show. Instead we took in David Stokes’ animal show. He had snakes, toads, a mouse and turtles. Pretty cool stuff, but I miss the raptors.
3) Allow more time for lunch. We were a bit rushed for lunch and some kids didn’t get to finish their eagle buttons in the kids area.
Eagles will by visible until the ice melts up north, so there’s still plenty of time to see them. Go to www.saukprairie.com for information on viewing. Then you too can become an Eagles fan.
Just be careful who you mention that to.
What are you doing to expose kids to the real world?
Diane Schwartz is a Packer fan and a real eagle fan who works at the Goodman Community Center in Madison, Wisconsin. You can also find her at Schumacher Farm County Park in Waunakee where she’s working to get the trails open for cross country skiing. Subscribe to this blog and receive a free 11-page Bubble Activity Guide.
Entry filed under: Trips, Winter Activities. Tags: eagles, packer and eagles, prairie du sac dam, sauk prairie, winter, Wisconsin.
1.
A flash of white: Bald eagles soar just in time for Eagle Days « Get Kids Outside: Outdoor Adventures with Kids | January 10, 2012 at 3:38 am
[...] sanctuary. When the lakes and rivers freeze up north, the birds fly south in search of open water. The Prairie du Sac dam on the Wisconsin River makes a perfect fishing hole for the birds in winter. Laura Freedman, [...]