WILLIAMS BAY — A special event coming to Geneva Lake and the Fox River in northern Illinois will give residents a chance to view bald eagles in the wild.

In Search of Eagles will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Jan. 21, 2023 at the Williams Bay boat launch, the McHenry Dam, the Algonquin Dam and the Carpentersville Dam on the Fox River in Illinois.

Representatives from Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, Geneva Lake Environmental Agency, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Kettle Moraine Land Trust, McHenry County Conservation District, McHenry County Audubon and Friends of Moraine Hills State Park will help search for eagles and identify other birds using the river and the lake. 

Attendees are asked to dress for the weather and to bring their own binoculars if they have a pair, but binoculars are not needed to enjoy seeing birds in the wild. Detailed maps to all locations can be found at tinyurl.com/InSearchofEagles2023 . 

There will be scopes and binoculars available for use at each location, along with guided activities for children. Visit the site closest to you or visit them all! This is a free all-ages event. No registration is required. If you have any concerns on Saturday morning about the weather, please call the Friends of Hackmatack phone line at (262) 448-3558 where there will be a message regarding the status of the event.

In addition to the outdoors events planned for January 21, the cooperating organizations are asking area residents to report where they are seeing eagles throughout January and February. Sightings are being collected at tinyurl.com/eaglesightings as a resource for people who want to go out looking for eagles on their own. Sightings and photos can be shared to the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge Facebook page at facebook.com/FriendsHackmatackNWR or at eBird.org or emailed to friendsofhackmatacknwr@gmail.com.