Looking to celebrate the annual arrival of bald eagles to the Quad-Cities? Check out the annual Bald Eagle Days Environmental Fair and Wild Life Art Show, set for Jan. 10-12 at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
When and where
The Bald Eagle Days festival kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday, Jan. 10-12. It will be open to the public from 4-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the QCCA Expo Center, 2621 4th Ave., Rock Island.Â
Get tickets
Admission costs $6 for adults and $1 for kids ages 6-15. Admission is free for kids 5 or younger. From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, kids under the age of 15 get in for free with a paying adult. You can buy passes at the door or by visiting qccaexpocenter.com/bald-eagle-event.html.
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Biggest around
The Bald Eagle Days celebration hosted in Rock Island has been dubbed the largest event of its kind in the Midwest. In previous years, about 20,000 people have attended the festivities at the expo center.
What to see
Over these three days, the 60,000-square-foot expo center will transform into an indoor wildlife exhibit. There will be live eagle programs, live bird of prey demonstrations and more than 100 display booths with information on outdoors-related organizations.
New sights
You’ll get the chance to see plenty of animals foreign to the Midwest. Jim Nesci and Big Run Wolf Ranch are both returning in 2020, and the event will feature a 10-foot alligator.Â
Show times
Here's the schedule for wildlife shows happening in the auditorium at the expo center:Â
Friday
4:30 p.m. Incredible Bats
5:30 p.m. Birds of Prey
6:30 p.m. Big Run Wolf Ranch
Saturday
10:30 a.m. Jim Nesci
11:30 a.m. Birds of Prey
12:30 p.m. Big Run Wolf Ranch
1:30 p.m. Jim Nesci
2:30 p.m. Birds of Prey
3:30 p.m. Big Run Wolf Ranch
4:30 p.m. Jim Nesci
5:30 p.m. Birds of Prey
6:30 p.m. Big Run Wolf Ranch
Sunday
10:30 a.m. Incredible Bats
11:30 a.m. Birds of Prey
12:30 p.m. Big Run Wolf Ranch
1:30 p.m. Incredible Bats
2:30 p.m. Birds of Prey
3:30 p.m. Big Run Wolf Ranch
Focus on conservation and kids
One of the overlying missions of Bald Eagle Days is conserving the area’s natural resources, most notably the Mississippi River. The annual event also serves as a field trip opportunity for many area schools. Bus loads of schoolchildren typically visit Bald Eagle Days and for many of them, it's their first sighting of snakes, monkeys, hawks, owls and eagles.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-003
- John Schultz
A crowd gathers and gets out their cell phone cameras, Sunday, January 7, 2018, to take pictures of the grey wolves howling in their cage during activities at Bald Eagle Days being held at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-004
- John Schultz
Bob Underwood of Moline teases his grandson Traven Huett 7 also of Moline with a balloon fishing pole, Sunday, January 7, 2018, while taking a break during Bald Eagle Days at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-005
- John Schultz
Mom Brandy Weaver of Davenport, untangles the balloon fishing poles for her two sons Quincy 6 and Hayes 4 just got, Sunday, January 7, 2018, while attending the Bald Eagle Days at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-006
- John Schultz
Hundreds of eagles perch in the trees and soar over the Mississippi River fishing, Sunday, January 7, 2018, at Lock and Dam 15 in Davenport. Bald Eagle Day tours were viewing from the former Dock site in Davenport.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-007
- John Schultz
Hundreds of eagles perch in the trees, stand on the ice and soar over the Mississippi River fishing last month at Lock and Dam 15 in Davenport. The number of bald eagles spotted in the Quad-Cities was up this year.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-008
- John Schultz
Janelle Swanberg with the Quad-City Audubon Society looks through a scope at eagles, Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the site of the former Dock building at Lock and Dam 15 while leading tours for Bald Eagle Days.
Photos: Bald Eagle Days
The last day of the annual Bald Eagle Days event took place, Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. There was also live viewing near Lock and Dam 15 on the site of the former Dock building in Davenport.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-001
- John Schultz
Reaghan Beaver, 4, of LeClaire, sports a painted face and colored painted eagle hat last year at Bald Eagle Days in the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-002
- John Schultz
A crowd gathers around live birds of prey, Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the World Bird Sanctuary booth during activities at Bald Eagle Days in the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-003
- John Schultz
A crowd gathers and gets out their cell phone cameras, Sunday, January 7, 2018, to take pictures of the grey wolves howling in their cage during activities at Bald Eagle Days being held at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-004
- John Schultz
Bob Underwood of Moline teases his grandson Traven Huett 7 also of Moline with a balloon fishing pole, Sunday, January 7, 2018, while taking a break during Bald Eagle Days at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-005
- John Schultz
Mom Brandy Weaver of Davenport, untangles the balloon fishing poles for her two sons Quincy 6 and Hayes 4 just got, Sunday, January 7, 2018, while attending the Bald Eagle Days at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-006
- John Schultz
Hundreds of eagles perch in the trees and soar over the Mississippi River fishing, Sunday, January 7, 2018, at Lock and Dam 15 in Davenport. Bald Eagle Day tours were viewing from the former Dock site in Davenport.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-007
- John Schultz
Hundreds of eagles perch in the trees, stand on the ice and soar over the Mississippi River fishing last month at Lock and Dam 15 in Davenport. The number of bald eagles spotted in the Quad-Cities was up this year.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-008
- John Schultz
Janelle Swanberg with the Quad-City Audubon Society looks through a scope at eagles, Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the site of the former Dock building at Lock and Dam 15 while leading tours for Bald Eagle Days.
WATCHING THE EAGLES
- John Schultz
Eagles soar over the Mississippi River as others perch in the trees on the Rock Island Arsenal as people watch from the the Iowa side near Lock and Dam 15 in Davenport on a wintry day in 2018.
010718-Bald-Eagle-Days-010
- John Schultz
A group of eagles perch in the trees as one soars over head, Sunday, January 7, 2018, on the Rock Island Arsenal.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-001
- John Schultz
Program director Ben Montgonery for the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, gives McGwire, a 21-year-old bald eagle, a place to perch on Friday during Bald Eagle Days being held at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. The event continues 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-005
- John Schultz
A three year old peregrine falcon named Solo belonging to the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, looks over his shoulder, Friday, January 5, 2018, during Bald Eagle Days being held at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. The event runs all weekend.
Photos: Bald Eagle Days
The annual Bald Eagle Days have arrived and started, Friday, January 5, 2018, at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. It runs all weekend, concluding Sunday.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-001
- John Schultz
Program director Ben Montgonery for the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, gives McGwire, a 21-year-old bald eagle, a place to perch on Friday during Bald Eagle Days being held at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. The event continues 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-002
- John Schultz
A 21-year-old male bald eagle named McGwire stares at the camera during Bald Eagle Days. During this year's bald eagle count, 1,447 were spotted in Iowa and 752 were in Illinois.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-003
- John Schultz
This golden eagle named Kili sits on its perch.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-004
- John Schultz
Charlott Strupp of North Carolina watches her grandmother, Isabel McCarthy of Moline, take a picture of Abby, a 15-year-old barn owl belonging to the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, on Friday.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-005
- John Schultz
A three year old peregrine falcon named Solo belonging to the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, looks over his shoulder, Friday, January 5, 2018, during Bald Eagle Days being held at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. The event runs all weekend.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-006
- John Schultz
Daisy Girl Scout Myra Hamann 5, of Eldridge, checks out a stuffed red fox, native to this area.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-007
- John Schultz
Andrew Jackson 10, of East Moline, looks around through his recently made toilet paper tube binoculars.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-008
- John Schultz
Hoyt Reec 7 of Springfield, works his way up the climbing wall.
010518-Bald-Eagle-Days-2018-009
- John Schultz
A 15-year-old female barn owl belonging to the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, looks over her shoulder during the 2018 Bald Eagle Days at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.
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