I really enjoy watching and photographing Bald Eagles. I wish there was a place with high visibility of them close by here. There may be something like that nearby, but if so it is not highly publicized or easily accessed.
I say that because I have been to a few places like that, but the distances can be pretty prohibitive. A few years ago a pair of eagles built a nest near
Baytown, east of Houston, right across the road from the golf course there. The nest itself was about 75 yards from the road, but the parents would frequently fly to a tree that was only 20-30 yards from the road. People would line up along the road to watch and photograph them. That's where the image I posted earlier, with a little Photoshopping, came from.
We just returned a few days ago from visiting our son who recently moved to Baltimore, MD. Earlier in the year, I happened to learn that there is a place about an hour away from there that was known for the concentration of Bald Eagles that frequent it during the winter. It is called Conowingo Dam, and is a hydroelectric generating station on the Susquehanna River near the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The dam presents a unique opportunity for viewing eagles. As water from the river passes through the turbines, many fish are killed or stunned as they pass through. When they emerge downstream from the dam, they are easy pickings for the many birds, such as eagles and seagulls, waiting for an easy meal.
The day I was able to go there was not the best of conditions. Heavy overcast and cold, as it had snowed some the afternoon and evening before. Besides the hundreds of seagulls, there were a few dozen vultures hanging around, and I would estimate about 20 Bald Eagles.
Here are some shots from a sequence I got of an immature baldy snatching up a fish from the river. You can see the dead fish just floating on the surface of the water.
Once the birds have their prize, the real test comes into play. Other eagles will see the grab, and try to steal the fish away from the original owner. It was really fun to watch the aerobatic maneuvers these birds would put on display.
Anyway, I don't mean to hijack this thread, but just thought I would share about this unusual location just in case anyone happens to be in that area sometime and would like to check it out. I wish I could have spent more than one morning there, and under better conditions. Quite the place for eagle lovers, and I understand it gets quite busy on weekends, for obvious reasons.