Forest Preserve Hosts 2021 'Eagle Watch' On Jan. 9 in Channahon

The Forest Preserve District of Will County will celebrate the beauty and bounty of bald eagles during its 2021 “Eagle Watch” program set for Saturday, Jan. 9, at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

The free, all-ages event will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Four Rivers is located in McKinley Woods at 25055 W. Walnut Lane, off of Blackberry Lane south of Bridge Street.

Bald eagles are spotted regularly at Four Rivers because of its
location near where the Des Plaines, DuPage and Kankakee Rivers meet to
form the Illinois River. So, odds are you might see some of these regal
raptors flying about on a cold January weekend.

Four small guided hikes will be offered at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Register for
one the hikes by Jan. 8 on the Event Calendar at
ReconnectWithNature.org. Or take an independent hike after asking a
naturalist where the eagles like to perch along the river.

No indoor activities will be offered this year due to the COVID-19
pandemic. And masks are required for outdoor program participants,
except for those younger than 2 years old and those with a medical
condition or disability that prevents them from wearing one, per state
guidelines.

Will County is one of 27 Illinois counties where bald eagles have
been spotted in recent years as their numbers increase in the wild. In
addition to McKinley Woods, eagles have been spotted in the north at
Isle a la Cache in Romeoville , Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Nature
Preserve in Plainfield and Whalon Lake in Naperville and out east at
Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve in Crete Township and Monee Reservoir in
Monee Township.