here are my first Bald Eagle nest pics of the year patuxent River Park Jug Bay not the best because the eagle spotted me before I could get my camera set to take him or her on the nest. and here are also some pics of eagles along the Potomac River near another easy accessible nest near Alexandria VA. These eagles are fishing at low tide and are to far away from me to get decent photos
Here is the nesting Pair that lives along the Potomac River. The nest is on the shore where Im taking the photo from next to a golf course.
ej, Your so lucky to have them near you!
The chesapeake bay region is very blessed to have the east coast largest population of bald eagles outside of the state of florida. Maryland and VA region Im very happy and excited to possibly get some eaglet chick photos this year mabey
The chesapeake bay region is very blessed to have the east coast largest population of bald eagles outside of the state of florida. Maryland and VA region Im very happy and excited to possibly get some eaglet chick photos this year mabey
I ve been fortunate thus far see so many Bald Eagles in the past twenty five years.
I havnt gotten photos of the MD nesting pair so far but Ive done pretty good with the Belle Haven Marina VA Bald Eagle nesting pair. Here are some new pics from January 12th 2011.
Here is one of the Belle Haven Marina Bald Eagle pair wich flew over to check out their nest. January 12, 2011
Nice shots ej!
"here are my first Bald Eagle nest pics of the year patuxent River Park Jug Bay not the best because the eagle spotted me before I could get my camera set to take him or her on the nest. and here are also some pics of eagles along the Potomac River near another easy accessible nest near Alexandria VA."
If you're close enough that you are making eagles fly from the nest, you are too close. Ethical birders don't disturb nesting birds. In fact I recently read a scathing criticism on a board frequented by professionals of a request for a photographer by a writer so she could chronicle an eagle nest on facebook. The criticism came from the asst. director of an organization that is responsible for restoring eagle populations and one of the foremost avian research stations in the country.
Nesting eagles need to be safe from nimrods who want to get close to them. In addition to running birds off their eggs, blabbing about exact locations of eagle nests on the net can allow criminals searching the web to locate the nests so they can shoot the birds and sell their body parts on the illegal market.
My $.02.
Yes you are lucky to have them so close. Nice photos.We can go watch but its a 65 mile drive,we will drive down 2 times this winter,we go to an art glass shop ,and watch them make things.its a fun day.in the winter we can drive out into the reservoir and it is really cool .
Nice photos, ej.
As in the past, Blackwater National wildlife Refuge maintains a web cam for a nesting pair of Bald Eagles. The nest has its first egg as of yesterday. This is a little earlier than in the pas,t by close to a week. Here is the link to the web cam for anyone interested.
http://www.friendsofblackwater.org/camhtm2.html
I visit Blackwater quite frequently and have never questioned the location of the nest. They often close off trails that may lead visitors past a nesting pair. However, sometimes it is unavoidable depending on where the eagles decide to build the nest. 4 years ago, a pair built a nest in a local residents backyard.. One can't expect the resident to not go out in his backyard. But, the nest disappeared at the end of the nesting season. I don't know who took it down. But the eagles just went down the river less than a mile and built a new one.
Thanks for your kind words about my pics everyone. I would like to address what Norman from OK said about the ethical birding. Number one point you have a good point in a certain way but all situations are not the same. Number two Ive been photographing wildlife for the past thirty years. I do no what Im doing as far as not disturbing the birds during the nesting season. Number three these are well known Bald Eagle nesting sites for this region out of the many hundreds of other Bald Eagle nest the public knows nothing about. The Belle Haven Marina Bald Eagle Nest is World famous and thousands of people per day pass this nest every day. I was across the road from the nest on a hiking-biking-jogging trail. Where everyone can clearly see the nest near the side of the road. They had young last year and looks like they will nest here again. It is not illeagle to take photos of eagles during nesting as long as you dont get to close to the birds to make them leave the nest. Fouthly I will continue to be the great photographer and birder Ive always been the Past fourty or more years as a birder and thirty of those years as a photographer. Sincerely, Eric J. Woody
P.S. I have been a conservation activist my whole life and would never do anything that would endanger my favorite bird the Bald Eagle. Thank you
I sadly agree there are alot of not so brite ones out there..We watch in the winter no nests involved.
Nice shots ejw!! Sometimes Eagles build their nests in odd places...in my township a pair had built a nest right behind a tavern and were successful for many season's and the tavern had a video cam. for everyone to see the Eagles...the nest was blown down during a storm and 1 chick survived...the tavern with funding put up a pole with a nest on it...the Eagles did not take to it like they were hoping...the Eagle's decided to put their new nest right in the middle of a neighborhood...and have had 2 more successful season's and a 3rd should be starting soon. ..yes people I,m sure have come to take pics of the nest, but at 60ft up in the air there was not much to see for photographer's ..thus it is now just part of the neighborhood and really goes unnoticed. ODNR keeps all nests monitored as the population of Eagles here keeps growing thanks to plenty to eat now on Lake Erie.
I really hope that poacher's are a thing of the past... well less likely anyways.
Thanks for the heads-up on Blackwater, Charlie. I really enjoy watching both the Bald Eagles and the Osprey nests there. It seems such a short time ago that the last eagle chicks fledged.
You're welcome, Margaret. The second egg was laid today.
They lay eggs in the Winter ??
Yes they do ..... This pair of eagles has been really good parents. Last year, on the web cam, you could see her sitting there, on the eggs, basically covered with snow. She weathered a huge snowstorm. Of course, both take turns sitting on the eggs.
OMG ,I would have never thought..Your Eagles are there year round ??
I'm so delighted to learn of your Eagles news, we've a local Nest here that I followed last summer. I can't wait until I go back there this time of year to track their activities. Thanks all for sharing what you're seeing there from your locals.
Huggergirl, Chesapeake Bay bald eagles do not normally migrate — the adults spend most of their year in this general area — but immature bald eagles are not tied to a territory and a nest, so they will normally fan out over a broader area (maybe even into Canada) before they return to settle in the Chesapeake Bay region when they are around four years old and are ready to mate.
I visited Blackwater yesterday but it was a terrible dark day for photography. I did see quite a few Bald Eagles and often in pairs. That's a good sign ......
I didn't really get any good photos because they were quite a distance away. This photo is a 100% crop. The eagles were just a small dark dot at the top of a dead tree. Nonetheless, it was worth keeping ..... "showing some affection".
AAWWW OHH ,that is a wonderful shot of the couple.Please excuse my ignorance on the subject of eagles.Am I mistaken to think or remember that Indiana once upon a time had Eagles year round,before the use of was it ddt ?? Where we go to watch eagles there is a man made nest,are they using that to encourage the eagles to nest here again ??? someday? or just providing a place to rest ?
HG, I don't have an answer to your question, hope someone will come forth to assist you. Linth. The photo of the pair "showing some affection" is priceless!!!
We now have three eggs .......
Oh wow, how exciting!
Wowee! That's fantastic.
That is great!
Hello everyone I went out Monday the 17th of January and caught some nice photos of three species of Hawks and a few photos of the nesting pair and another adult eagle. It was a great day. Linthicum I see you tried to get photos of Bald eagles at Blackwater. I didnt do so well with the eagles at Belle haven monday either but I did alright for having a 300mm telephoto lense. The Hawks were upclose so they made it easy for me to get decent photos. I wish everyone luck in their wildlife watching and photography where ever you are. Here are some of my pics.
Three eagles on a Potomac River sand bar two of them are part of the Belle Haven Marina nesting pair.
Nice ej!
Here is the red-tailed hawk carrying his kill away to a tree near by where i followed him to get him feeding on his kill.
Thanks pellatory here is a very close up view of the Red-tailed Hawk feeding on his kill at a near by tree.
Here is another photo of the Red-tailed Hawk with some of his food in his beak.
this next photo is of a Coopers Hawk perched
Red-shouldered Hawk was not interested in letting me get any closer so he flew across the road to another tree. this was my third species of the day.it was a incredible day.
Nice selection of raptors.
very Nice
It was a great day for raptors on the 17th I hope this upcoming week days on the 23,24,25th of January will be as successful. Thanks pellatory and huggergirl. I hope to be putting up more shots up here soon. Good luck with your own wildlife watching or photography.
I got a bad shot of a Sharp Shinned thursday ,it was a new sighting here for me.hope we see it more
