Eagle watchers can get out of their cars and walk about 50 feet and get on the boardwalk at Lock and Dam 14 in LeClaire. “You pull into the parking lot near the Corps of Engineers office, and there is a boardwalk.”
“The photography opportunity is on the boardwalk at the service lock,” he said. “The eagles are fishing 50 feet in front of you. Lock and Dam 14 is absolutely unique for the access.”
When eagles catch fish, they often fly over spectators to land in trees in the parking lot.
“You’re standing there looking up,” Gearhart said. “You can photograph them as they’re eating and get very close up.”
People come from all over the United States, and sometimes from other countries, to see the birds, Gearhart said. “On a weekend, it’s an absolute zoo” at Lock and Dam 14.
“If you don’t get to the boardwalk where you can watch them fish early and get a place, you’re not going to get on the boardwalk,” he said.
Another tip: At Lock and Dam 14 in LeClaire, the Mississippi River flows east and west. “You can’t really do much photography there until after lunch because the sun’s in your eyes,” Gearhart said.
If you’re looking for eagles in the mornings, head to Lock and Dam 15 at Rock Island and Davenport, Sunset Marina in Rock Island, or Concord Street or Credit Island, Davenport.
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