Eagle Action: Where to Watch Bald Eagles in Illinois

As a kid in Galesburg, Dan Westergren didn’t exactly dream of photographing bald eagles one day. “I don’t think I ever saw an eagle when I was growing up there in the ’70s,” he says. But conservation efforts increased the regal birds’ numbers, and they now flock to Illinois for its friendly habitats, especially the open water often found around river locks and dams in winter. Dan, an outdoors photographer who spent 25 years with National Geographic, follows.

Open water draws eagles looking for fish. “They move south in winter to get away from the ice up north,” Dan says. And the promise of dramatic shots beckons him. So between gigs in places like Antarctica and Australia, he spends time in Alton, Grafton and other prime eagle-watching spots.

Dan relies on two main tools: binoculars and a camera with a serious telephoto lens. He says amateurs can try a hack called digiscoping—using an adapter to connect a digital camera (or smartphone) to a bird-watching spotting scope.

Dawn and dusk are the best times to photograph eagles, especially a little before sunrise. “You can catch them as they’re starting to get active,” Dan says. Plus, “it’s the best light.”