The purpose of this trip was to observe and hopefully photograph eagles in the wild along the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities area of Illinois & Iowa. The four cities that make up this regional area are Rock Island and Moline, Illinois and…Read More

The purpose of this trip was to observe and hopefully photograph eagles in the wild along the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities area of Illinois & Iowa. The four cities that make up this regional area are Rock Island and Moline, Illinois and Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa. Bettendorf would serve as our home base during our time in the area because the Mississippi River Lock & Dam #14 is located there.

Generally speaking, in the winter the eagle viewing along the river is best once there is a substantial freeze of the river and its tributaries. About three weeks before our trip, the river had significantly more ice and therefore, the eagles had a smaller territory for fishing. Unfortunately, the week before our trip there had been a warming trend with very little ice to be seen this far south. Interestingly enough, the next day on our drive home to Wisconsin, we followed the river north and at lock #12 the river was largely frozen over at the mouth of the lock. With the water flowing freely before the dam, many more eagles were seen fishing and eating along the river.

For our trip, we left Milwaukee around 9:30am which had us arriving to our viewing location around 2:00pm. It was chilly but not what I would consider downright cold. I did not wear my thermals nor my boots and I stayed warm with just a parka and my gloves. It was overcast and rather gloomy, but Russ assured me that would be better for the photos given that the bright sun can really cause issues. With my slower 70-300 f/4.0-5.6 lens, however, I needed more light for the lens to function smoother in auto focus mode. The next morning, shooting due east, I could see what he was talking about as when the sun broke through the clouds, I was shooting directly into it. It was a PITA!

When we parked in the public recreation area, there were around 20 other cars there. Most of the people were mulling around, just watching and taking snapshots of the birds. There were, however, several SERIOUS photographers (like Russ), with huge 500mm f/1.2 lens that could snap off many shots per second. I was having a serious case of lens envy.

We watched several eagles in the trees surrounding the parking lot. While many enjoyed the large mature bald eagle right in front of where we had parked, I was more taken with a mature adult sharing a branch with what appeared to be a first year juvenile. Ordinarily, only a parent will share a branch with their own offspring, so one could surmise this was a parent with one of its fledglings from this past summer.

Bald eagles are so beautiful and graceful as they fly and fish. On Saturday afternoon, there wasn't a lot of activity at the river. Sunday morning, however, there were more eagles and much more fishing for food taking place. I was fortunate that in spite of the challenging light, I was able to capture several nice photographs of the eagles, including one catching a fish and flying to the trees to eat it.

I should also mention that Sunday was much colder (at least 20F colder) than it was the prior afternoon. I was layered to include my thermal underwear. At times, when the wind kicked up, it was bone chilling. Additionally, we had some snow over night which created the additional ground hazard of ice.

It was really a wonderful time watching the eagles. I hope that I'll be able to return to the area again, if not later this winter, next year.Close

Iowa is one of the ten states that shares the Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 325 of the 3,000 total miles meander through Iowa's river cities, which include Dubuque, Davenport, Muscatine, Clinton, Bellvue and Bettendorf . . . our…Read More

Iowa is one of the ten states that shares the Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 325 of the 3,000 total miles meander through Iowa's river cities, which include Dubuque, Davenport, Muscatine, Clinton, Bellvue and Bettendorf . . . our home base for the weekend.

Having done the Great River Road through a significant portion of Wisconsin this past fall, I was very interested to see how the towns compared. I think I liked the ones we passed through in Iowa a little more. They seemed to be more picturesque of what I envision as Mark Twain's Americana.

Since we stayed in Bettendorf and took the Great River Road north when heading home to Wisconsin on Sunday, I only got a 100 mile snapshot of Iowa's side of the river. That said, it was really very nice and a trip I'd love to do when I had more time to explore.

The first real city we encountered after Bettendorf was Clinton. I had heard lots about "Clinton, Iowa" from someone I knew in soccer. His wife was from Clinton and he always made it sound like she was from little place out in the sticks. Now that I've been to Clinton, I don't know what he had to crow about, being raised in Monroe, Wisconsin. My goodness, Clinton was a rather large "little city" . . . very similar to Monroe.

Clinton seems to have a lot to offer visitors looking for a historical perspective on life on the river. There are a couple of museums worth noting; the Clinton Historical Society Museum and the Sawmill Museum. For folks looking for entertainment during the summer months, check out the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre. Staged in a restored paddle wheel boat, enjoy dinner and a show while cruising the Mississippi River.

North of Clinton is Bellvue, Iowa which is the location of Mississippi River Lock #12. As we drove through this town, we noticed several eagles seemingly floating in the winds above. Russ just had to stop to take more photos. Me? I was warm and comfy in the truck, not to mention, I did not have enough lens to photograph them so I stayed and chatted with Jan.

The road continued to wind north, generally following the river although at one spot, we took a noticeable turn to the left (west) away from the river. In this area were several large rock bluffs, similar again to what I had previously seen along the Minnesota/Wisconsin border up around LaCrosse, WI.

It was in this area that we saw a car driven by a young girl, accompanied by two friends, off the road in a rather deep ditch. We had gotten some snow overnight, which had the road icy in spots. It appeared as though they lost control on the shoulder and got sideways around the curve . . . and into the ditch they went. Thankfully, nobody was hurt and the local county sheriff was there with a tow truck to winch them out of the ditch.

The last river city we drove through in Iowa was Dubuque. Having driving the Milwaukee to Ames (IA) route many times, I was very familiar with Dubuque. It is home to many attractions including the National Mississippi River Museum, Crystal Lake Cave, Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens and Diamond Jo Casino & Hotel. Additionally, there is one US National Park Service site, the Effigy Mounds National Monument, approximately 65 miles north of Dubuque.

If you're going to be traveling in this area, I would encourage you to consider a side trip off the main highways to explore a little of this beautiful farmland that is also rich in history.Close