By John Lauritsen

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WINONA, Minnesota ( WCCO ) — A National Eagle Center riverboat cruise will get you up close and personal with the country’s national bird.

“This is pretty much as good as it gets when it comes to tour boats on the river,” said Jon Borreson.

As a boat captain, Borreson has taken his guests every which way on every waterway imaginable. But when he gets behind the wheel of the Cal Fremling in Winona, Minnesota, he knows what’s waiting up ahead.

“We see an average of 12 to 20 eagles on every trip,” said Borreson. “We’ve got a couple eagles’ nests that we can pull up underneath and actually see small eagles in it.”

The scenic eagle cruises along the Mississippi are popular, but wouldn’t have been possible just 15 years ago.

“When I

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