Where Eagles Fly

I had never seen a Bald Eagle in the wild. I thought maybe once in Florida a few years back. Maybe once in Salamanca, NY on the Allegheny River where a friend often spotted them and I wanted to believe. Never for sure. And due to their once endangered, but now only threatened species status, it’s not surprising.

For the last several years, I have watched an osprey nest on a platform atop an electric pole in Bath on the Conhocton River as I drove by each day on the way to work. I have watched them fledge their young each year and feed on the fish in the river below their nest. Ospreys are often mistaken for bald eagles because of their white feathered heads. Many folks have reported seeing eagles there but I always supposed they were seeing the ospreys. And there have been reports of sightings near Coopers Plains and several active nests near the Tioga-Hammond Dams just south of us in Pennsylvania.

Well I have seen them now. In New York. In Bath. On the Conhocton River near the osprey nest. Four or five times since the first of this year! AND AGAIN THIS MORNING! What a treat. I hadn’t seen any in a month or so and was afraid they had migrated back North after the ice had thawed in their feeding areas.

I still have not photographed an eagle in the wild. The above photo was taken at Homosassa Springs State Park in Florida this winter. But maybe soon.

Incidentally, The NYS Department of Conservation reports that the eagle population may be at an all time high since repopulation efforts began 30 years ago. For more on the story of the eagles resurgent population, go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/63160.html

Below is a stock photo of an osprey for comparison.

Post Script

As luck would have it, I saw an eagle again on the way home tonight. So I slammed on the brakes, threw on the fourways, and took pictures with 70 mph traffic racing by. No doubt, oblivious to the beautiful sights of nature. No doubt, cursing the truck pulled off on the expressway. Here's what I saw.

The eagle is calmly sitting on it's perch over the Conhocton River about 100 yards away. The bird above it is a crow in the act of dive-bombing the eagle. The crow would do this and then perch above the eagle for a few seconds, before dive bombing the eagle again.

So, there's the physical, visual, pictures say a thousand words, proof that there are eagles in Bath, NY. Click on this picture and blow it up. It really is an amazing moment, especially up close.