800 Bald Eagles a day?...........

Or so I was told was possible towards the end of October and into November. I THINK the place is called the Conowingo dam on the Susquehanna River. The dam is at the intersection of Maryland highway #1 and 222. One of two pics.........

Last pic. Anyone ever heard of this many Bald Eagles here?

Actually it's US 1 and Maryland 222.

I said Maryland highway #1 Dave because US1 is about 200 feet from my backdoor as well. LOL Thanks for clearing that up! :)

http://www.harfordbirdclub.org/conowingo.html
These folks say 20 - 30
I just did a google search "eagles at Conowingo dam" and got lots of hits, this is the only one that I looked at...

The '800' number is highly exaggerated. I spend a fair amount of time there during October thru December. In fact I was there this past weekend. The only Bald Eagles that were there were resident birds. I saw no more than 6 at any one time. Last year, near the end of November, we counted 126 from one standing location. So, you could see upwards to 200 on a good day.

Last year, I started a thread on Bald Eagles and most of the photos were taken at the Conowingo Dam.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/919395/

Here is a photo I took at Conowingo Dam on Saturday.

You could search the eBird database for that county and look at the 'high count' category and find the answer to your question.

We have an area in IL that people can see over 100 at one time. It is during the height of winter when ice pushes the eagles south looking for open water.

http://www.wolfstad.com/2009/01/our-visit-to-bald-eagle-watch-2009-at-starved-rock/

I really appreciate your input on this ya'll! I was a little skeptical when the dude told me 800 eagles a day. However I wasn't going to dispute him considering I was in an area I wasn't supposed to be in. *whistles innocently* I'd ride the 409 miles back up there IF I could see 200 eagles a day. That would be so cool! I'm thinking about doing just that, but it would have to be a weekend trip......

Wow!!! Linth I just viewed your link you posted with all your Bald Eagle shots, "Truly Incredible"!! I noticed most of the fish being taken are Shad which in my experience here along Lake Erie (at the same time of year as yours) the Shad start dying off but before they do they seem to go in a trance and swim at the top of the water, which would make it easy pickings for the Eagles, and all other bird's who like fish. Very special place you have, it is reviving what was almost gone. In looking back on that, in the 1970's our area had just one pair that made the newspaper often, then one day one of the Eagles captured a Mallard Duck and could not clear a power line with the duck and was killed, and this of course made the front page including the fatal photo. I remember that day and will never forget it. Your photo's are one way of "making up" for all the careless people who used DDT and nearly wiped out our National Symbol.

Burd

24, some individuals, birders included, have a magical way to counting birds. I often wonder how many times the same bird is counted. I see some reports that will say, 3 resident, 4 migrant. I wonder how they tell the difference (absent some distinguishing characteristic). Weather plays an important role and I like morning the best. Also, when the Dam is generating hydroelectric power, activity picks up. They turn on sirens and flashing lights to alert the fisherman and boaters to the pending power generation. As soon as the sirens go off, the eagles are everywhere. The churning water apparently stuns the fish and makes them easy pickings for the eagles.

Weekends tend to be the most crowded. As word spreads it becomes more crowded. If you use Mapquest or a GPS, use the following address: Shures Landing Road, Darlington, MD. Shures Landing Road is just a narrow, steep, winding two lane road that takes you down to the river and parking lot.

Burd, thank you for your comments. This Fall, I'll probably continue with my latest thread which is Vol. #3. I'm glad you enjoy the photos. I didn't get too many decent photos last weekend but here is one bearing down on me.

I've always wondered how accurate bird counts are and how they count them linthicum. Unfortunely I'll probably have to go back on a weekend if I go. I THINK I may have taken Shures Landing Road to the river? I remember crossing the dam, turning left, then a sharp left and going down a steep winding road. I saw what I call a fishing pier (looked like concrete) to my left. The two pics I posted on here were taken standing to the right of that. I was there this past Monday. It's a cool place and I hope to go back soon....

You're right 24. I take some back roads off of I-95 which take me to Shuresville Road and then Shures Landing Road. The fishing pier was just completed within the year at a cost of $4M. I saw it completed for the first time myself on Saturday. I usually set up right where you took the photos. You have a good opening with no tree interference. My main objective (seldom achieved) when I go there is to capture the Bald Eagle as he/she catches a fish. I suspect that setting up down on the new pier will give a photographer a new sight level, i.e. almost water level.

Note the wall extending out from the dam (in your second photo). I've seen as many as 20 sitting on the wall at one time.
Here's a photo of 10 sitting there.

Absolutely awesome! I am definitely going to make a trip up there to check this out!

Thanks for sharing!