Eagle Expo slated for Feb. 25-27

The 11th Annual Eagle Expo and More, scheduled for Feb. 25-27 in Morgan Citwill feature seminars from wildlife and nature experts, a live raptor presentation, boat tours to view eagles, a photography exhibit and opportunities to meet fellow birders.
Laws banning the use of harmful pesticides such as DDT and greater public awareness and education have increased the bald eagle population throughout Louisiana and the United States. Currently, there are nearly 300 active nests in Louisiana with a large concentration in the St. Mary and Terrebonne areas.
This year’s Expo will include a presentation by Wings to Soar on 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Bayou Vista Community Center.
This informational presentation showcases an array of eagles, falcons, hawks and owls soaring overhead. Private schools, parochial schools and home-schooled students will have the opportunity to attend a Wings to Soar presentation Feb. 24 at the Bayou Vista Community Center at 10 a.m. There is no charge to attend, but reservations are required. Please contact info@cajuncoast.com or 985-380-8224 to place your reservation. Wings to Soar also will visit the following schools: Franklin Junior High, Morgan City Junior High, Berwick Junior High, and Patterson Junior High.
A photography workshop taught by renowned wildlife photographer C.C. Lockwood will be held Friday, Feb. 26. C.C. Lockwood is known for his numerous publications and books, especially his 11th book, “Marsh Mission,” which brought attention to the crisis of the vanishing Gulf Coast wetlands. H. The workshop includes a seminar at 9 a.m. at the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau’s Welcome Center (900 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Morgan City) with a field trip to Bayou Black beginning at noon. The boat tour in Bayou Black will focus on birding and marsh landscapes.
The workshop requires separate registration and payment of $195. Contact C.C. Lockwood at www.cclockwood.com or call 225-769-4766 to register. Space is limited.
Tours to view eagles will take place Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27. Featured waterways include the Atchafalaya Basin, Bayou Black, Turtle Bayou and Bayou Long. Tours will be 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m.Friday, and 9-11 a.m. and 2:30 -4 p.m. on Saturday.
The Atchafalaya Basin Tour takes attendees into the largest overflow swamp in the United States with 10 distinct aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Home to over 170 bird species, 50 mammalian species, 40 reptilian, 20 amphibian species and 100 species of fin fish and shellfish, the basin offers more than just eagles.
The Bayou Black Tour meanders through old oil and gas canals. Birds of prey including bald eagles, ospreys a
The Turtle Bayou Tour includes two small natural bayous that provide for fantastic views and local wildlife. Aside from eagles other birds likely to be encountered include anhingas, double-crested ccormorants, red-shouldered hawks, white ibis, yellow-rumped Warblers, Carolina chickadees and various species of terns and gulls.
The Bayou Long Tour includes various waterways including Lake Verret, Bayou Magazille, Fourmile Bayou, Grassy Lake, Bayou Cherami, Bayou Milhomme and Lake Palourde. On this tour, you will be able to view bald eagles and their nests, blue heron, great egret, belted kingfisher, white Ibis and various species of birds.
Friday evening will feature a dinner and presentation, “Perils and Pitfalls of Birding,” featuring humorous anecdotes, by Bill Thompson III, co-publisher of Bird Watcher’s Digest, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City.
The cost for the dinner is $40 per person. Contact info@cajuncoast.com or 985-380-8224 to purchase tickets for the dinner and presentation.
Saturday, Feb. 27, will feature a breakfast and a variety of speakers in the morning with boat tours in the afternoon. Speakers for the morning seminars will include: Matt Brady, Louisiana Bird Atlas Project; Nick Smith, bald eagle researcher and GIS/ remote sensing analyst for Ducks Unlimited; Samantha Collins, monitoring wintering raptor and shrike populations in Southwest Louisiana for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; and Bill Thompson III, “Ten Tips for Better Birding Identification.”
Full registration includes the seminars Saturday morning, breakfast Saturday morning, a T-shirt, one boat tour, and the Wings to Soar presentation on Thursday evening. Registration fees start at $125 for adults and $70 for children for full registration. One-day registration starts at $95 for adults and $60 for children and includes seminars, one boat tour and Saturday breakfast. Boat tours only start at $60 for adults and $45 for children.
The Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau has partnered with the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, LSU Museum of Natural Science, Conrad Industries, Johnny’s Propeller Shop, the Audubon Society, LUMCON, B & G Foods, Louisiana Office of Tourism, Stazione and the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area to showcase not only the american bald eagle, but the numerous species of birds and wildlife found within the Atchafalaya Basin and surrounding areas.
For a complete event schedule, costs, registration forms and listings of hotel rates, contact the Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau at 985-80-8224, visit online at www.cajuncoast.com/eagleexpo or email info@cajuncoast.com.