MOUND CITY, Mo – Bald eagles migrate southward on the chilly winds of early winter. Dozens or even hundreds usually congregate at the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge near Mound City where they can feed on fish and waterfowl. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will host the 45th annual Eagle Days at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. The World Bird Sanctuary staff will present live eagle shows each hour in a building at the refuge headquarters. Those eagles have been rehabilitated from injuries but cannot be released back into the wild.

There will also be interpretive stops along a driving tour of the refuge wetlands. Guided bus tours begin each half hour. Spotting scopes will be set up at key points along the tour route for visitors to spot wildlife far out on the marshes. Interpretive stations along the tour route will include displays about mammals, bald eagles, snow geese and other waterfowl, duck calling and waterfowl hunting, and wetland management. Friends of Loess Bluffs and other conservation partners will have outreach tables.

Besides eagles, visitors will be able to see wildlife at wetland pools such as trumpeter swans, geese, ducks, and shore birds. MDC staff, Missouri Master Naturalists, and Loess Bluffs staff will be welcoming visitors and interpreting nature exhibits.

The numbers of waterfowl and eagles at Loess Bluffs varies with weather being a major factor. Often though, Eagle Days has plentiful wildlife for viewing. Visitors will find cameras and binoculars useful.

For current bird survey numbers and event information about the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zt2.

To learn more about eagles and other Eagle Days events in Missouri, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/events/eagle-days.

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 2 ½ miles on U.S. Highway 159.