By MATT PIKE
The federal government shutdown threatened to cancel a longtime event, but with the government back to work, the annual Eagle Days event is still on.
The 46th annual Eagle Days at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in Mound City is this weekend, bringing thousands to see real life eagles on the refuge.
Refuge manager William Kutosky says people will see live eagles migrating with the migrating waterfowl on the refuge as they take the self-guided tour
“We have biologists set up along the tour with stations and spotting scopes to bring you up close and personal with those wild eagles and watch them hunt or sit out on the ice or roost in the trees,” Kusosky says on the KFEQmunnity show.
Kutosky says the unique thing about Eagle Days though is on top of that, they also bring in World Bird Sanctuary, a program that shows off live eagles
“So, you get to see these birds, these captive birds, up close and personal, you can take pictures with them,” Kutosky explains.
Organizer Bruce Windsor says the eagle show not only helps people learn about the birds, but gives them a unique and special experience no matter their age
“You are literally feet away from a 20-year-old bald eagle who is sitting on a perch looking at you, and it’s pretty special no matter what your age is, it’s just a great experience,” Windsor says.
The show will present three different species of eagles for people to see and learn about, every hour Saturday and Sunday.
Kutosky says the event is always well attended and is one that is loved by nearly everyone that attends
“Our friend’s group just randomly asked a lot of folks last year as they were coming through, coming by their booth, on how they heard about the event and I would say, I’m just shooting from the hip, but probably 75% of people said they come every year, so this is a repeat event,” Kutosky says. “It’s one of those that I take my kids to every year, even though they’ve seen the live eagle show, they can’t wait to go back next year.”
Eagle Days is free to attend and runs 9am to 4pm on Saturday and 10am to 3pm on Sunday.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.