in Pella are about to experience a raptor for the very first time

and they may never view birds the same way ever again.

We thought DDT was great, it was killing all the bugs on our

crops and that was wonderful. But that chemical was making its

way into the food chain. It was causing their eggshells

to be soft because it was taking calcium out of their body.

The talented staff from the University of Minnesota's Raptor

Center know what everyone is here to see, the main event for

every youngster.

For most of the kids in this audience, this is the first time

they've seen an eagle in person and up close.

If another bird came too close to an eagle, like a crow or

something like that, these guys generally don't bother with

them. It takes them more energy to do

something with that crow, they'll just fly away.

The 40-minute show-and-tell session is one of the best ways

to teach young Iowans about the comeback story of the American

Bald Eagle and how the once endangered species has thrived

through conservation. I learned that they really

aren't bald. I learned that the bald eagle

eats mice. While an indoor bald eagle show

may be the closest you'll physically be to America's bird,

a true appreciation comes from watching an elegant scavenger in

its natural environment. The best location to spot bald

eagles during an Iowa winter is wherever the open water is.

The colder the weather, the more likely you are to see large

numbers of eagles along the river, like the Des Moines here

in central Iowa. Bald Eagle Days below Red Rock

Dam are a perfect example of wintertime open water.

The talented video team here at Iowa Public Television has

plenty of tools and equipment to bring you beautiful eagle

images. But you can spot bald eagles

with your own eyes. Just make sure to bring with you

some warm clothing, binoculars and some patience.

Now you've got complete control of this.

You can move it down, up. Pat Schlarbaum: You can hear the

awe. It's one thing I like to do once

they get on an eagle and then magnify it and their brother or

sister will see it and then they all want to see it and oh, can

you see it, oh yeah. Then they go whoa!

Then you know they see it and it's the key to passing along

this fascination of what an eagle could bring to our lives.

It can take years for a juvenile bald eagle to turn fully white.

If you spot an eagle without a completely white head it could

be a rare golden eagle, but most likely it is a bald eagle less

than five years of age. Pat Schlarbaum: And when they

see the live birds in the indoor program that, you can't put a

value on that other than priceless.

They'll remember it the rest of

their lives.