Sunday, October 31, 2010

Birding the Susquehanna

On Saturday my hubby and I decided to visit the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River. This time of the year the Bald Eagles are migrating and hundreds of them can be found at the river right below the dam.  The eagles attract birders and professional photographers from all over. I felt a little out of place with my Canon Powershot when I see the professionals photographers there with their bazooza lenses. But, then I am just taking my photos for fun and to keep a record for my birding log and not for the fame or money. Sorry, the zoom on my camera does not give me the clearest shots of the eagles on the rocks across the river.




So on to the birds I saw at the river. Beside all the Adult Bald Eagles we saw various stages of the juvenile Eagles. The adult Bald Eagle has the white head and tail and striking yellow bill and feet. The adult plumage starts around age 5. There were also high numbers of Great Blue Herons, Cormorants and Black Vultures, pigeons and seagulls. I was told earlier in the day there was a Peregrin Falcon and a Golden Eagle. The Bald Eagles are the main attraction. The eagles put on a great show and are awesome to watch in flight, chasing each other and stealing fish. The Eagles usually show up starting in late October and stay maybe thru March. There are some Eagles that are at the river year round. The Eagle population is steadily increasing over the years since the pesticide DDT has been banned.



This picture below shows some adults and some of the juvenile Bald Eagles in various stages.
Below , is the closest shot I could get of their big and awesome looking yellow bill.




Below a picture shows one adult eagle perched on top of the rock and below are all the cormorants, black vultures and pigeons.
Below,  are a few adult Eagles, juvenile Eagles and a few Great Blue Herons hanging out together.

My header shot is of the river showing some beautiful yellow fall foliage. When we looked in the binoc's there were also eagles sitting in these trees.





Thanks to the wonderful host of these fun memes and thank you for stopping by to see my post.

53 comments:

  1. Love your new header. How awesome so many of those huge birds in one spot. They are magnificent.

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  2. The Bald Eagles are magnificent. How wonderful to be able to see so many in one place.

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  3. I am eager to picture eagles, but not a single one appears at my place.

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  4. What a dream place to visit Eileen. Your pictures are fine and you obviously got a lot out of your visit perhaps more than the people who were there as a job rather than pleasure.

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  5. That has to be very exciting to see all those eagles at one time, and your photos are great. I know what you mean about the guys with their huge lenses. I do envy their ability to get close-up shots, but I'm not sure I could even pick one of those huge lenses up. As far as I'm concerned, having fun with your photography is what it's all about, and you are definitely doing that. I really enjoy seeing all the fantastic places you visit.

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  6. These are good pictures! I like the eagle on the branch, even with its back to you, the bill shows up well.

    Thanks for the visit!

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  7. So many of them bald eagles in one place! How beautiful!

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  8. Wow, Eileen! Wsh I had been there with you. There are so many eagles!

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  9. I shared this post on Facebook with a friend who lives in Colora, MD. It would be awesome to see so many eagles in one place!

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  10. I think it's such a gift to see those big birds. The Bald Eagles will be here in a few weeks, to feed on the remains of the salmon. I love to go by the river on a misty morning to see them perched on the giant cedars, like some sort of weird tree ornnaments.

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  11. What an incredible experience!

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  12. Amazing shots, Eileen. So majestic. Just amazing!

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  13. Wow, Eileen. What a sight! Thanks so much for taking us along!

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  14. How amazing to see those Eagles! I'm THRILLED to see them thru your Canon Powershot~ thanks for sharing :-)

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  15. Aren't they wonderfully majestic creatures?? How nice that you were able to capture so many great photos, even at a distance.
    Love the job you did with the mosaic!

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  16. Thank you so much for sharing this gorgeous shots of the eagles! I lived in Joppatowne for 15 years and went birding there once, but I never saw any eagles. It is so nice to know they are coming back in great numbers. It is so nice to see such lovely pictures of my beloved Maryland. I'm your newest follower.
    Cindy

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  17. Your photos and mosaics of nature are always refreshing.

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  18. Fascinating! And even though I pretend the turkey vultures in my corner are eagles, there is no comparison. Thank you for these awesome shots.

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  19. What a thrill to view your photos, so I can only imagine the thrill of actually being there to observe the eagles and other birds. Wow!

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  20. Wow, these are great photos. I've never seen so many eagles in one photo.

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  21. Eileen your photos are always top notch! I love my Cannon powershot camera too.
    I would love to see so many wild bald eagles. They are so majestic!

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  22. The bald eagle shots are gorgeous. We see them frequently around here and I admire their grace and strength.

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  23. So many of those Eagles!
    Very nice post.

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  24. Never saw so many eagles on a foto, amazing. For you it must have been also a great moment in your life to take pictures of them! Thank you for sharing!!

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  25. Hi thanks for dropping by my MYM.. wow this is so pretty sight... they're so strong... have a nice day!

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  26. Looks like a fantastic place to watch the birds and enjoy the day!

    Incredible photos as always..

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  27. awesome! so many baldies, that's so much fun! it's been a long time since i've seen so many together. love those fall colors too!

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  28. Just beautiful shots. Thanks for taking me with you to see the eagles.

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  29. I think you got some grogeous shots. Thanks for sharing. La

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  30. Beautiful photos of beautiful birds. Thanks for sharing with us.
    Thanks for stopping by and your nice comment.

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  31. How wonderful to see all the eagles in person. Stunning picures Eileen. and of course mosaic.
    Have a great week,

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  32. Just beautiful. Amazing to see so many in one place.

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  33. How fantastic to be able to see so many and get as many great shots as you did! Breathtaking and so exciting! Thanks for sharing them with us, Eileen! What a treat! Hope you have a great week!

    Sylvia

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  34. wow, it must be a treat to see so many eagles in one spot. love your mosaic, well done.

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  35. Wonderful, Eileen. There are quite a few Eagle Cams in British Columbia, which a friend of mine rigged up in trees across from the nests. Followers can watch the birds nesting, sitting on their eggs, and raising their young. We can also hear them, and what loud noises Bald Eagles make!! I can't imagine the noise all those birds together would make. Super shots.
    -- Kay

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  36. what a productive day of birding. so many birds. must be exciting.

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  37. Wow! Sop many of them together.
    I can imagine the cacophony there.

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  38. Beautiful shots. So many of them, all in one place, great.

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  39. Oh that must be so exciting to see so many eagles together like that. Great photos. What amazing creatures.

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  40. your new header photo is beautiful!
    and your collage is amazing. another eagle species, the Philippine Eagle, is our national bird and they are critically endangered.

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  41. All these eagles are beautiful ! you are so lucky to see them that close !

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  42. wow, what a sight, all those bald eagles. :) Youre a lucky woman Eileen. I have never seen more then 3 sea eagles at one time. Eagles are not common over here.

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  43. OMG! What a fabulous place! I am so glad I visited today. I wish I could go there! Great post. Thanks so much for sharing. ~karen

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  44. Looks to me like you did just fine with your powershot. These are great! What a nice way to spend your day!

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  45. Such beautiful photos. I always enjoy visiting your blogs. Lots of interesting birds and places to see that I haven't seen yet. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos, Eileen.

    Sorry for the late visit. Have a nice day always.

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  46. Your little camera did just fine here! Wow! I've never seen so many eagles in one spot before. I thought I was lucky when I saw three together once up in Washington. Terrific experience this must have been! Thanks for visiting my MYM. Enjoy the week.

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  47. WOW! I would LOVE to see all those amazing birds together! I'm not a birder in the strict sense of the word, but I do love to watch them. And I think your little camera did a great job. Thanks for sharing at MM. :)

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  48. Hey..this something I never see!! What terrific captures of these wonderful creatures! Hope your doing great- love your work Eileen:)

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  49. That must be a fantastic sight to see all those eagles Eileen, and you took some great photos.

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