Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge near Mound City is more than ready for this year’s Eagle Days opening on Saturday, with hundreds of the majestic birds on hand.

Conservation ornithologist Brad Jacobs says a lot has changed for the nation’s eagle population since the 1950s, when only a few hundred bald eagles were left in the lower 48 states. Now there are more than 10,000 nesting eagles. They’re gathering at Squaw Creek by the hundreds.

Jacobs says visitors to Squaw Creek this coming weekend will see two eagle populations: those that nest here and those that nest to the north and are driven south by winter weather. They flock to Squaw Creek for open water and tens of thousands of flying meals otherwise known as snow geese.