Category Archives: birding travel

Nature Lovers Converge on Southwest Illinois’ Great Rivers and Routes Region for Eagle Season

A mature Bald Eagle dropping down to start a fishing run at L&D #14, LeClaire IA.

As cold descends upon the Midwest, Southwest Illinois, the Great Rivers & Routes region draws nature-lovers from all over the country to catch awe-inspiring eagle sightings along the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River for what is the largest concentration of bald eagles in the country.

This January, thousands (of humans) will flock to the Great River Road to get a glimpse of the winged beasts. Adult eagles have a 7-8′ wingspan and love fishing in the Mississippi, providing hours of free entertainment.

Eagle Season

View a majestic American Bald Eagle up close at the Alton Eagle Ice Festival on January 6. Head to FLOCK Food Truck Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a free Eagle Meet & Greet and a chance to get your picture taken with America’s national animal!

The Eagle Ice Festival will also include: eagle-watching shuttle tours (departing from the Alton Visitor’s Center); food trucks; drinks available from the FLOCK bar; DJ tunes; live ice carvers from Ice Visions; Eagle Fest Beer from Old Bakery Beer Company; fire pits with s’mores kits for sale; and face painting for kids.

The National Great Rivers Museum will also be offering a number of free family-friendly activities on January 6. Stop by the theater for talks by eagle experts and to watch eagle film showings. Look through spotting scopes for a chance to view an eagle nest. Make and take your own eagle craft — an eagle head wrap!

Those seeking to see more beautiful birds of prey can stop by the Audubon Center at Riverlands across the Mississippi from Alton to view birds like eagles and owls on live display from the TreeHouse Wildlife Center. Enjoy guided bird hikes, eagle crafts and firepits with s’mores kits available on January 6.

The Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower will be open all day on January 6 for tours to see American Bald Eagles from 50, 100 and 150 feet high. There will also be a Birds of Winter educational session featuring local raptors from TreeHouse Wildlife Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is required for Tower tours but the Birds of Winter exhibit is free.

Check out these other activities:

The Great Rivers and Routes region is the only place where the Mother Road of Route 66 meets the Great River Road. The region celebrates three of the nation’s great rivers (the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois) alongside famous roads, history and small town charm.

Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau,  certified by the Illinois Office of Tourism, is a destination marketing organization which represents Madison, Macoupin, Montgomery, Jersey, Calhoun and Greene counties, and the City of East St. Louis in St. Clair County in southwest Illinois. Founded in 1985 as the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, the bureau transitioned to Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau in 2018 as the size and scope of the organization grew.

For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

Going Places @ theisland360.com

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near/

instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/KarenBRubin

BirdLovers and LoveBirds Flock to Morro Bay for Winter Bird Festival

Kayaking in the Morro Bay National Estuary Preserve. Winter is birding season in the California coastal town on the Pacific Flyway, when more than 200 species can be sighted (photo by Dave E. Leiberman).
Kayaking in the Morro Bay National Estuary Preserve. Winter is birding season in the California coastal town on the Pacific Flyway, when more than 200 species can be sighted (photo by Dave E. Leiberman).

MORRO BAY, Calif. –Lovebirds and bird lovers flock to Morro Bay, a quaint Californian coastal town with a romantic vibe, located along the Pacific Flyway. Winter is birding season, and the Morro Bay National Estuary Preserve and its 800-acre wetland are home more than 250 species of land, sea, and shore birds, both migratory and resident and dozens of endangered species including Peregrine Falcons.

Lovebirds flock to Morro Bay in the winter, too, to enjoy the romantic sunsets, restaurants and cozy hotel rooms. Find a plethora of bird watching and love bird lodging specials throughout January and February here, including offers to stay two nights and get third night half-off.   Plus, every hotel guest in January/February receives a Food & Wine Passport with over $90 in food offers.

Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival

Every Martin Luther King weekend, more than 500 bird lovers from around the world attend the annual Winter Bird Festival. Morro Bay is a globally important bird area, making it the perfect place to see, photograph, and learn about birds. Morro Bay is on the Pacific Flyway. More than 200 species can be sighted during the Festival weekend. While you’re in town, kayak through the National Estuary Channels, sail the bay and watch a variety of birds take flight, or hike near Morro Rock, a key haven for the once endangered bird, the peregrine falcon. Online registration for the 2017 Festival is open.

But that’s not all to discover in Morro Bay.

For information on all the exciting things to do and see in Morro Bay, visit www.morrobay.org.

 

For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/krubin0830/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures