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The Audubon Center at Riverlands is welcoming bird and nature lovers to one of the most significant migratory flyways in the world.
Eagles and Other Birds
Arrive in West Alton
Story and photos by Jane Banaszek
The Audubon Center at Riverlands is welcoming bird and nature lovers to one of the most significant migratory flyways in the world. The center, a partnership with the National Audubon Society and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Rivers Project Office, is located in the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary bordering the Mississippi River in West Alton, Mo.
The center offers birding, education and outdoor activities year-round. Eagle watchers can take a break inside where it is warm and still view the birds through scopes placed around a wall of windows. There are numerous displays and a theater inside, and a deck and viewing barge outside. This is a very comfortable and informative place to begin your eagle watch or relax and regroup after a hard day of bird watching.
On a visit to the center on Jan. 14, only one eagle was spotted, but we were treated to Trumpeter swans and a variety of other waterfowl in the Riverlands area. Eagles are reported to be slow arriving in the area due to the warmer than usual winter.
An Eagle Watch Weekend will be held at the center on Feb.11 with a live eagle show from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., children’s activities, regularly scheduled hikes to the river’s edge with a guide, and hot cocoa and cookies.
Center hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. every day except the following: Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. The center is located at 301 Riverlands Way, West Alton, MO 63386. For more information, call 636-899-0090 or visit the website, www.riverlands.audubon.org.
SWAN LAKE: (above) Trumpeter swans, the largest waterfowl species in North America, are visiting the Mississippi Flyway and resting on the ponds of the Riverlands Area these mild winter days. ( Right photo) Benches with thought provoking quotes are located near the windows at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. 
A huge pelican hangs from the ceiling at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, located off Highway 367 in West Alton just before you get to the Clark Bridge
Windows look out on Ellis Bay and toward the Mississippi River and the bridge to Alton.
