In early January, 2024, I decided to take a chance and travel to Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin to see if there were eagles there, a place where I had been fortunate in past years to get some good photos of Bald Eagles in flight or snatching fish out of the Wisconsin River.
When rivers and lakes in northern Wisconsin freeze over, the eagles would migrate to the warmer areas of the state where they could find open water, especially around dams or rivers with shallow slow moving currents.
My two-hour trip took me through some small towns and scenic landscapes dotted with dilapidated barns, huge meadows, and other photo-friendly points of interest, such as DQs, Culvers and gas stations with cheaper gas!
The main street in P du S is situated on the river and there's a viewing area with a telescope for close-ups of any eagles perched in a mid-river island tree. As I arrived at the viewing stand, I counted ten eagles in the tree and one flying over the river area as he looked for his breakfast. Today, his meal consisted of gizzard shad, a small silvery fish. When an eagle nabs a shad, he often eats it on his way back to his perch because other eagles might try to steal his catch mid-air.
On this day, there was a light wind and the river was very calm. This was perfect for taking shots of an eagle whose image was reflected in the water as if it was a mirror.
Three eagles on the island tree.
Reflected photos, et al:
Hope you enjoyed these!
