Eagle Watch will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3.

This year’s Eagle Watch event will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3. It will feature two birding presentations at the Big Bend Visitor Center and the traditional patient watch for eagles at the wildlife-viewing platform located a half mile south of the visitor center.

This will be the 15th year for the event, which has drawn bird lovers from the tri-state area.

When the Allegheny Reservoir behind the dam freezes over partly or completely, the resident and some transient American Bald eagles seek the open waters below the dam for feeding. As many as 10 to 15 adults and immature eagles have been seen in one day but the average is closer to 8 to 10.

Avid Warren wildlife technician Don Watts, who will be stationed on the platform to assist visitors with spotting birds and providing information, states that eagles are seen as early as day-break and throughout the day.

Starting at 9 a.m. the Kinzua Cachers will gather at the BBVC for a registered geomeet. Temporary caches will be placed for discovery around the Kinzua Dam project. Geocacher John Proctor is the host for the event which will conclude at 11 a.m.

Also at the Visitor Center at 11 a.m. wildlife photographer Rocky Holland, proprietor of Eagle Eye Photography of Kane, will present a slideshow with insightful and humorous commentary of his stellar bird photos. It’s entitled “Birds of the Allegheny Reservoir.”

At noon, Don Watts, Master Bird Bander, and Research Wildlife Biologist Scott Stoleson, PhD, will treat visitors with a program on bird-banding of raptors in the surrounding Allegheny National Forest. Both Watts and Stoleson have plied their skills for the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station in nearby Irvine, PA for several years. Their unique program is entitled “Raptor Banding in the ANF.”

Winter-appropriate snacks, including hot coffee and cocoa, will be provided at the BBVC, courtesy of the Allegheny Outdoor Club, Participants at the platform will be treated as well.

Eagle Watch partners include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Allegheny Outdoor Club, Kinzua Cachers, and the USDA Northern Research Station.

This family event is free of charge and registration is not required. It is recommended visitors, adults and children alike, dress warmly. Parking is in the large lot adjacent to the visitor center. There is limited handicap parking — four spaces — near the wildlife viewing platform. For further information contact Bill or Mary Massa, 814-723-2568.