Few places in North America offer an observer the opportunity to stand in one spot and, with a single 180° sweep of a pair of binoculars, count 165 Bald Eagles. Sounds impossible, but we experienced just that earlier today along the Susquehanna River below Conowingo Dam at Fisherman’s Park off U.S. Route 1 west of Rising Sun, Maryland. More than 200 eagles are there right now, so you really ought to think about visiting to see it for yourself. If you can’t make the trip, or if you need a little more convincing, we’ve put together a big collection of photographs for you to enjoy. Have a look…
In late November and December, hundreds of eagle watchers and photographers travel to Fisherman’s Park along the west shore of the Susquehanna River below Conowingo Dam/U.S. Route 1 to witness the largest annual gathering of our national symbol on the east coast.The park provides facilities for viewing right on the waterfront and is maintained by the operator of the hydroelectric dam, Constellation Energy.From the riverside viewing area, we counted 165 Bald Eagles on the rocks along the east shore of the river and on the electric transmission line trestles. That count didn’t include scores of additional birds obstructed from our view along the near shore downstream and along the east shore behind the mid-river island below the dam.A closeup of some of the 165 Bald Eagles we counted. Many of these birds, particularly the adults, are eagles that nest to our north and are here for a short winter stay. Local breeding pairs, including several with nests along the river below the dam, are already courting, copulating, and defending territories; the latter no easy task for the Conowingo birds facing all these visitors.The concentrations of Bald Eagles at Conowingo Dam sometimes provide an excellent opportunity to study the plumage of birds from the various age classes. Today’s assemblage put on a clinic.A nice, neat hatch-year/juvenile Bald Eagle in its first full set of feathers shows no molt.This bird was an unusual find, a hatch-year/juvenile Bald Eagle with early signs of molt. There’s even a new secondary feather visible in the gap on the left wing.The wings of a second-year/basic I immature Bald Eagle have a ragged appearance created by the long juvenile secondary feathers that have yet to be dropped.Another second-year/basic I immature Bald Eagle showing some longer juvenile secondaries on each wing.A third-year/basic II immature Bald Eagle showing a neater, cleaner trailing edge of the wings with no more long juvenile flight feathers. The wide dark stripe through the face gives the bird an osprey-like appearance. The bill color is usually more noticeably yellow than a second-year bird, but both can have extensive white in the belly feathers and elsewhere on the underside and shoulders.Third-year/basic II immature Bald Eagles exhibiting aggressive behavior.A fourth-year/basic III immature Bald Eagle with a black-bordered tail, yellow bill, and a thin dark line through the eye. Birds this age are mostly dark below, but often retain some white feathers which present a spotted appearance.The water passing through the dam not only attracts eagles, but other birds as well. Many, including these gulls, are looking for fish stunned or disoriented by their trip through the turbines, gates, or spillways.More than one hundred Ring-billed Gulls are currently being seen at Conowingo Dam.We saw a few American Herring Gulls as well.A juvenile American Herring Gull.Probably a hundred Black Vultures or more were in the vicinity.A Black Vulture by the park’s riverside lookout.We heard this Peregrine Falcon as it tangled with several eagles behind us before it quickly darted away across the top of the powerhouse and dam.Double-crested Cormorants were diving persistently in search of unwary prey.A composite image of a Double-crested Cormorant gulping down a Gizzard Shad.But these vigilant eagle watchers and photographers don’t come to Conowingo Dam and Fisherman’s Park to see Bald Eagles of various age classes flying around. Nor do they come to see the other amazing birds attracted to the waters passing through the dam.And they don’t even come to see some pretty good aerial fights among the numerous eagles congregated in the river gorge.They come specifically to see and photograph Bald Eagles swooping in to grab a fish. That’s their objective and they’re serious about it!A probable fourth-year/basic III immature Bald Eagle with a Gizzard Shad.An immature Bald Eagle swoops in to grab a fish.An immature Bald Eagle stretches its wings forward with a deep stroke to lift a fish from the Susquehanna.A Bald Eagle, possibly a fifth-year/basic IV bird, carrying away a freshly caught Gizzard Shad.An adult Bald Eagle comes in for the grab.An adult Bald Eagle comes away with a Gizzard Shad.Now the hard part, finding a place to eat its catch in peace.
If you go to Fisherman’s Park, time your visit for when the light is at its best—late morning through early afternoon. Don’t forget, it’s very cold down along the river, so dress appropriately. And finally, visit on a weekday if you can. The parking area can fill to capacity during the weekend and you may be turned away.
Don’t wait. The eagles visiting the Susquehanna at Conowingo Dam could get pushed further south by rough winter weather. Then again, adult pairs may take advantage of milder conditions to begin returning north early to nest.
