Audubon Center at Riverlands — Attraction in West Alton

I would love to give a glowing 5-star review on this place that I've heard so much about, but I can't. On the one hand, the people working there were very friendly, and the building and grounds were very attractive. Unfortunately, it was very lacking in some areas, the first of which was a lack of maps. They showed me a map, but there were no hard copies that I could take with me. With so much private land around and not knowing where I could go and where I couldn't, I think I missed a good chunk of the place. Another very puzzling thing about the visitor's center was that although benches surrounded a good part of the center, the benches faced the building. With there being vegetation, poles, etc, behind the benches, the only way to sit on them was to face the building. I mean, the building is nice enough, but it's a birding center. I want to face the trees and shrubs to look for birds. I was, and still am, bumfuzzled about that. There were Palm Warblers and other birds in small trees right outside the building, and there were benches there, but you would be facing away from the birds. Being disabled, this was greatly disappointing. I'm just not able to stand for very long periods at all. So, the displays and the people were very nice, but it had major negatives,...

My spouse and I just went to the Audubon Center across the river from Alton. We took a long walk along the waterfront of Ellis Bay, a slough off the Mississippi before the Melvin Price Lock & Dam. The new trail along the water is ADA accessible and matches up with pre-existing trails. It allows a better view of the wooded areas and the birds that prefer them without disturbing nesting areas. Absolutely gorgeous viewing today of trumpeter swans, white pelicans, Canadian geese, terns, a few teals, and we believe a pair of American avocets. Only one bald eagle. Our winter's have been shorter with more ice and sleet than snow, and not consistently cold in January....so we just don't get the eagles this far south that we used too. Twelve years ago, we counted just over two hundred pairs of bald eagles and even a few golden eagles. Still a beautiful walk on a brisk...

This place is awesome. I turned in to go to the Center at about 8am on Wednesday, 25 Sep 2024, to find the sun shining on the waters, steam rising, and some birds flying about - absolutely stunning! So of course I told the guy at the Center desk how lucky he was to have a job with such beautiful scenery. He agreed and told me to return in the winter. Will do!

And, yes, the Center is very nice and informative. I'm not a big bird person - other than to notice them flying around - but I still enjoyed my visit and appreciate what the sanctuary team is accomplishing. Kudos. There is also a good network of both paved and natural trails in the area that are worth investigating. And don't forget Confluence Point State Park just...