The 39th annual Eagle Days at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) will be Saturday, December 2, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, December 3, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may see wildlife such as bald eagles, trumpeter swans, snow geese, and ducks! The event is hosted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at Loess Bluffs NWR near Mound City, with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Dickerson Park Zoo from Springfield, Missouri, Remington Nature Center from St. Joseph, and many volunteer partners, including Friends of Loess Bluffs, Loess Hills and Osage Trails Missouri Master Naturalists, Missouri Western State University’s Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Northwest Missouri State University, Midland Empire Audubon Society, Missourians for Monarchs and the Missouri Department of Transportation.
There will be activities throughout the day such as live captive eagle programs provided by the Dickerson Park Zoo in the refuge maintenance building each hour on the hour. Free guided bus tours will be offered or drive around the auto tour route independently and stop at the eagle viewing stations staffed by volunteers to view eagles up close with spotting scopes. There will be special eagle exhibits on display and Remington Nature Center and volunteers will be on hand for crafts for kids, such as making their own birdseed feeder. Concessions will be available through Friends of Loess Bluffs or visit the local community for more food options as well. The Midland Empire Audubon Society will be selling wild bird seed and feeders and the Nature Shop will be open in the Visitor Center.
The schedule for the Eagle Days event and bus tours is as follows:
• Eagle shows on Saturday, December 2, 2017, will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., every hour on the hour.
• Free guided bus tours on Saturday, December 2, will be each half hour from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• A free shuttle bus will be available Saturday only, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., from the alternate parking area located near the Garden Inn Truck Stop located on the corner of Highway 159 and Exit 79 near I-29, south of Mound City.
• Eagle shows on Sunday, December 3, 2017, will be from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every hour on the hour.
• Free guided bus tours on Sunday, December 3, will be every hour from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
For current bird survey numbers or questions about programs and the event flyer at Loess Bluffs NWR, visit their website at http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Loess_Bluffs/. In case of inclement weather, check the Loess Bluffs NWR Facebook page or listen to local radio and local TV for updates for the Eagle Days event.
The refuge includes 7,440 acres of wetlands, grasslands, and forests along the eastern edge of the Missouri River floodplain. Overlooking the refuge from the east, the Loess Hills habitat is a geological formation of fine windblown glacial soil deposited after the past glacial period. The hills stretch from about 30 miles south of St. Joseph, Missouri, to extreme northern Iowa. Some of the last parcels of native plants, of a once vast native prairie, can be found here.
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge is located in northwest Missouri near Mound City. Take Interstate 29 to Exit 79 south of Mound City, Missouri, then travel south 2½ miles on U.S. Highway 159. For more information call 660-442-3187.