Bald eagles are star attraction at Conowingo Dam
From November to February the Conowingo Dam attracts over a hundred species of birds, but the bald eagles are the star of the show. What draws them to the giant hydroelectric dam, which located on the Susquehanna River, is the way it makes energy. As the dam produces electricity, a large volume of water and fish are sucked through the generators stunning the fish into “floaters” as they exit the dam downstream. The easy prey becomes an excellent food source for bald eagles and other birds.
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- A bald eagle stands out against the Conowingo Dam in shadow on Friday afternoon. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- Photographers crowd the viewing deck at on Friday afternoon below the Conowingo Dam where bald eagles are common. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle carries its catch on Friday afternoon below the Conowingo Dam. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle carries its catch on Friday afternoon below the Conowingo Dam. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle carries its catch on Friday afternoon below the Conowingo Dam. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle carries its catch on Friday afternoon below the Conowingo Dam. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- Photographers crowd the viewing deck at on Friday afternoon below the Conowingo Dam where bald eagles are common. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle flies overhead at Conowingo Dam on Friday afternoon. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle flies overhead at Conowingo Dam on Friday afternoon. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle soars past the viewing deck below the Conowingo Dam on Friday. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle carries a fish tucked under its tail on Friday afternoon below the Conowingo Dam. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle soars past the viewing deck below the Conowingo Dam on Friday. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle flies in gusty conditions with a fish in its talons at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle flies in gusty conditions with a fish in its talons at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle flies with a fish in its talons at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Saturday is Conowingo Eagles Day at the dam pavilion, Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle flies with a fish in its talons at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle catches a fish at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle flies in gusty conditions with a fish in its talons at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- Two bald eagles, one clutching a fish, navigate gusty conditions at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle catches a fish at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle catches a fish at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- Two bald eagles, one clutching a fish, navigate gusty conditions at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle flies with a fish in its talons at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Saturday is Conowingo Eagles Day at the dam pavilion. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle flies with a fish in its talons at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Saturday is Conowingo Eagles Day at the dam pavilion. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- A bald eagle flies in gusty conditions with a fish in its talons at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam. Saturday is Conowingo Eagles Day at the dam pavilion. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun
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- Two bald eagles perched on tall trees near the Susquehanna River look for their next meal. Large numbers of Bald Eagles gather downstream of Conowingo Dam where fish, a primary food source, is abundant.
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- A bald eagle glides over the Susquehanna River looking for a meal. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- Photographers scan the sky as they search for bald eagles to photograph at the Conowingo Dam. Large numbers of bald eagles gather downstream of Conowingo Dam where fish are in abundance. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A concrete block at Conowingo Dam provides a perch for a bald eagle as it looks for floating fish on the Susquehanna River. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A great blue heron takes flight downstream from the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- Spreading its wings a bald eagle slows down as it prepares to grab a fish from the Susquehanna River. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle stretches its talons to grab a fish from the Susquehanna River. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- After grabbing a fish from the Susquehanna River a bald eagle soars away to enjoy the meal. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle finds success in securing its meal from the Susquehanna River. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- While gliding over the Susquehanna River a bald eagle looks for a safe spot to enjoy its meal. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A black vulture waits for an easy meal at Conowingo Dam. A large number of bird species can be seen near the dam. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A picture of a bald eagle in flight appears on the review screen of a digital camera. The birds are just one of many species that can be seen around the Conowingo Dam. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- After catching its meal, a bald eagle, right, is chased by another who is looking to steal the fish from it. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle, right, picked off a fish from the Susquehanna River as another made a late approach for the same fish. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- Photographer Bill Patrick, of Montclair, N.J., and partner Bruce, return to their car for a break before returning to photograph bald eagles in the afternoon at Conowingo Dam. This is their first time at Conowingo Dam. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle settles down on a tree to feast on a fish it caught from the Susquehanna River downstream of Conowingo Dam. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle loses its catch as it is challenged by another eagle while landing on a tree near the Susquehanna River. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle, left, tries to steal a fish from another eagle as it lands on a tree. However, the eagle had already dropped the fish on approach to the tree. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bald eagle dips its wingtip into the Susquehanna River as it fished the river. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A mailbox featuring a bald eagle is in front of a house along Route One leading to Conowingo Dam. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)
The area below the dam is excellent for bird watching. Laden with long lenses and tripods, photographers setup in various areas to capture pictures of the birds, but the most popular spot is Conowingo’s Fisherman’s Park. A wharf that was constructed in 2010 gives bird watchers and photographers a front row seat to the action.
The bald eagle was taken off the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants list by the U.S. Department of Interior on June 28, 2007. The bald eagle’s return is a great conservation success story. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife listed the number of nest pairs at 417 in 1963. The last census numbers, which were for 2006, estimated that there were more than 9,700 nesting pairs of bald eagles throughout North America.
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RUTH SEDORE
Jun 10, 2013 @ 10:22:55
I was at the Conowingo Dam last week and there were no Eagles nests there!!! can you tell me what happened to them?
thanks
Steve Talabac
Dec 08, 2012 @ 16:26:42
Nearly always great photo ops there this time of year. Captured a sequence of a Bald Eagle catching, and then almost losing, a large Walleye at Conowingo about a week ago.
http://sjtphotography.com/baldeaglefishingatconowingo
Lowell Schechter
Dec 05, 2013 @ 15:46:27
I think the Eagles are there from November till December.
I may go in February if the weather is good.