TRANSFER, Pennsylvania - The Shenango River Watchers hosted the 2026 Eagle Fest at the Chestnut Run Swim Beach in Transfer, PA Saturday morning for visitors to watch eagles and other birds of prey in their natural habitat.

The event was organized with help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mercer County Conservation District.

Organizers set up spotting scopes along the Shenango River Lake to look at eagles and their nests in the tree tops. Bald eagles would occasionally land on the ice in the middle of the lake.

Representatives from the Tamarack Wildlife Center in Saegertown, PA brought live birds of prey as part of its "Wings of Wonder Program" that included two American Kestrels and a Red-Tailed Hawk.

The event also included an Eagle Fest Art Competition.  

The Shenango River Watchers are a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Shenango watershed and the education of its wildlife.

President Brandi Baros says the group hosts recreational activities to get people to experience the Shenango River.

"We believe that when people come out and enjoy the watershed, they will fall in love with it just like we have, and they'll want to protect it," she said.

Baros says the event is scheduled in January because birds of prey are territorial during the other three seasons and are only seen in groups during the Winter.

"As the river levels go down, and the fish move into the lake where it's a little warmer, the eagles move where the fish are, and they stop hating each other for a little while," she said.

Sharon resident James Douds says it is important to observe nature and view the creatures that live in and around the river.

"That way, people understand about nature and that we're a part of nature and that we have to preserve that," he said. 

The Shenango River Watchers host their first public meeting of the year on Wednesday, Mar. 25 at 6 p.m.. The location is to be determined.