Audobon Center at Riverlands

What kind of person do you envision when the term «bird watcher» is mentioned? Whatever comes to mind, I promise you they were all at the Audobon Center at Riverlands last Saturday. January and February are probably the most popular months to visit with the bald eagles nesting and fishing in the bird sanctuary. Even though you might not picture yourself in a safari hat with a foot-​long zoom lens, I think you’d probably still enjoy a visit here. As a bonus, it’s free! Or cheap, if you’re like me; donations accepted — so I dropped a few dollars in the box up front.
There are several very strong and easy-​to-​use telescopes along the big picture window overlooking the bird sanctuary, which sits along the Mississippi across from Alton. The beautiful Clark Bridge is in the background.
Although it’s eagle season, we only saw a couple, but there were maybe 30 trumpeter swans, a few of which flew over the building in formation — a pretty amazing thing to see and the first time for me. There are a few walking trails outside and a chance to get right up next to the water, which is probably most important for photographers.
If there aren’t a lot of birds, you can enjoy some of the displays in the building, including a very impressive collection of duck decoys.
This place is definitely worth a stop whether or not you’re a big nature lover. Tip: After you visit, take a drive under the Clark Bridge and climb the lookout pavilion for a cool view of Alton and the bridge.