While a thawed Mississippi River doesn't provide ideal conditions for eagle watching, there should still be plenty of bald eagles looking for food on the open water this weekend.

Shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday, locals participating in the Des Moines County Eagle Watching Caravan will be counting bald eagles at Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone, Illinois.

Eagles tend to congregate near dams when the air temperature drops low enough to freeze portions of the Mississippi River, forcing them to grab fish from the unfrozen pools of river water.

Those interested in participating should show up at 10 a.m. at the Port of Burlington, where the second grade class from Mediapolis Elementary will lead a short seminar covering the basics of bald eagles and their migration habits. That duty usually falls to Des Moines County Conservation naturalist Frances Owen, but this time she will be watching instead of presenting.

The second graders have been hard at work making posters and preparing for the lecture.

"They're stoked," Owen said.

After the lesson, Owen will lead a caravan of vehicles to eagle-watching locations at Lock and Dam 18. Volunteers will be divided into groups to keep an eye on each section of the river. Everyone is expected to bring their own vehicle or carpool with someone else. Binoculars will be available for loan.

Due to construction at Lock and Dam 18, the eagle watchers won't be able to watch from the observation deck as in previous years. Owen said there's a small road just before the deck that heads left, and that's where everyone will be stationed.

"You can still get right up on the river," Owen said.

Spotting a bald eagle is as easy as looking for their signature white head and tail feathers. The tough part is identifying the immature eagles because their heads don’t turn white until they reach the age of 4 or 5.

The event is free and open to anyone who wants to participate.

“We’ve had up to 50 people before, and that’s fun, but what makes it really fun is when you get over there and see hundreds of eagles. That’s what we’re hoping for,” said Des Moines County naturalist Kent Rector.

For more information, call the Starr’s Cave Nature Center at (319) 753-5808.