Wintering eagles are commonly seen watching for food to float by, loafing, and preening while perched in the trees on the west banks of the Illinois River facing the park.
Numbers are usually higher in the morning and activity increases when barges pass.
On good days, as many as fifteen eagles have been seen in a five minute viewing. The bald eagle, Haliaeetus Leucocephalus, is the only eagle confined to North America. Juvenile bald eagles, however, can be much more difficult to identify. The young birds are sooty brown color with the adult plumage taking about four years to develop. The bill is black on the young birds.