Here we are in mid January and we are having another “un-normal” winter. What is 
normal? We went from roses blooming to ice, snow and severe cold in mid November, kind of normal December, then severe cold again late December and early January and now unusual warmth in mid January. Business at the River Nest is pretty normal, but the eagle numbers are not. We still have eagles, but not the
hundreds of years past. Now I count for the NEC each Thursday and see numbers in the 20s and maybe 40s. Was I spoiled? Probably. The woodpeckers have been busy and numerous, even the Pileated has graced us with appearances. The Mississippi has vacillated from mostly frozen over to wide open. We have many Mergansers and Golden Eye ducks, and the DNR has counted 68 swans in the Reads Landing area.
In 10 years we have only had one booking snafu. That resulted in us sending a certificate for a one night stay as our guests. That couple stayed this past weekend. We were very glad to host them. Thanks Jennifer and Ian. They were looking for good eagle pictures 
and were successful. The best picture they got was just down the street from the NEC. An adult eagle likes to perch in a tree right above the street and river. It is there often when I volunteer at the NEC, and I wonder if Rolf Thompson has it on staff.?
Our Christmas decorations are finally down (thanks 
warmer weather). Valentines day is coming and we have only a Friday night left that weekend. SOAR with the eagles is coming up in March at the NEC, and we have March about 1/2 booked already. If you are planning to come for SOAR, don’t delay in 
calling.
The railroad workers have been busy even in the cold. Our switch mechanism out front seems to need a lot of work. They are here for it about every two weeks. We also had a track laying train out front for a few days. They carry track that I think is 1/2 mile long and can “lay” it down off the back to replace 
or build new. The machinery they use is amazing to me. The engineering involved boggles my mind.
We are open and look forward to hosting you. There are a lot of friends out there we have not met yet. (651-560-4077) Bill.