I got to see something you just don't see very often...

On the way home down the George Washington Parkway, running along side the Potomac River, I got to see one of the greatest symbols of our nation, not once, but twice....

As I was just coming out of town, there is a tree by a golf course that has a nest a Bald Eagle built, and tonight, she was sitting in it looking so majestic. From now on I plan to ALWAYS have my camera with me, because I had yet to see her in the nest, but every now and then sitting next to it.

Then about 10 miles further down the road, last year in the area, I had seen another. Tonight I was admiring one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen looking south down the river, all kinds of wonderful pinks, reds, and orange colors. Suddenly on the very top of a tree, right in the middle of the "picture" is sitting another Bald Eagle. His head saw shining pretty bright set against the sunset...

What A Treat!!!! I wished I would have had my camera with me so I could have shared this with you all... Just an amazingly beautiful country we live in!

When our daughter was at Georgetown, we saw eagles out over the river occasionally.

They are fairly common near the NE coast in the winter (the "Eagle Festival" is in Newburyport next weekend) and downright numerous on the (MD) Eastern Shore at Blackwater NWR this time of year. There's an eagle cam at http://www.friendsofblackwater.org/camhtm2.html

Such a majestic bird.. I've seen quite a few out here since we moved to VA.. Just can't get enough of them

Simi I really enjoy when I see them here in IA, sometimes they fish at a local man-made lake we have called Bacon Creek. Always makes me just watch them until they fly away from my vantage point. I tell anyone in earshot "that is a bald eagle".... sometimes people care. Other times not. Sigh.


Matt

So cool they are really coming back though.. I've seen quite a few in the last 6 years or so between here and IL.. I just can't describe how much of a thrill I get out of seeing them. I can understand why a lot of Indian tribes respected them so much.

I occasionally see a few Bald Eagles when I drive in the Minnesota river valley. There have to be a ton of hawks I see flying around every day. I just love watching them when they catch a thermal and seem to float without even moving their wings. Bald Eagles seem to be more special though.

Eagles are fairly common down here, especially this time of year. In fact, during our County's annual Christmas Bird Count this past December 14, 84 bald eagles were seen in one day.

Always nice to see one, though.

I see Bald Eagles and Red tailed hawks almost daily behind the plant where I work , next to the Des Moines river. When I was a kid growing up here,we never saw any eagles around here. I move away from here in 1978. Moved back to my home town in 2000 and they are all over the place this time of year.Both adults and younger ones still with dark colored heads and tails.

At Starved Rock lock in Illinois we counted 23 of them recently.

There are a couple of places in my area.....that are VERY big with the bird-watching crowd.
Both are quite high up.....and you see a lot of Eagles, Hawks, Buzzards, etc. riding the thermals.

Washington Monument State Park.....Boonesboro, Md.

High Rock.....just follow the road that goes past Penn-Mar Park (Penn-Mar, Md.) until it dead-ends.
High Rock is also a favorite destination of MANY motorcycle and hang-gliding clubs in the summer.

Steve

They are truly a majestic animal and surely a treat when your able to see one. I’m fortunate to live in a state that has upwards of 600 nesting pairs. My Pop lives just down stream from the Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area where upwards of 500 of them winter over. During the winter of 2006-2007 an amazing 859 of them were counted along the river.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/TowerBoss/Washington/SkagitRiverBaldEagles-01.jpg

Here is a recent video (http://vimeo.com/2892651) of the Eagles and surroundings that someone put to music.

Regards,
TB

I got to see something you just don't see very often...

On the way home down the George Washington Parkway, running along side the Potomac River, I got to see one of the greatest symbols of our nation, not once, but twice....!

Very cool! This would have been unheard of just a few years ago. I have seen them a couple of times in the last few years as well and am always in awe.

They are truly a majestic animal and surely a treat when your able to see one. I’m fortunate to live in a state that has upwards of 600 nesting pairs. My Pop lives just down stream from the Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area where upwards of 500 of them winter over. During the winter of 2006-2007 an amazing 859 of them were counted along the river.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/TowerBoss/Washington/SkagitRiverBaldEagles-01.jpg


Regards,
TB

Wow! That is an amazing photo, one would think it is photoshoped as this is something you do not see everyday.

Living in the suburbs of NYC for most of my life I'd never seen a Bald Eagle until I was in Louisiana on business one day about 6 years ago. It was standing on the grass by the side of the highway. I almost drove off the road! They are such beautiful creatures.

a pair of them hang out at the Gravel pit we work out of along with a pair of Ospery's it's funny both pairs use the same dead tree as a roost to watch the larger of the pit lakes. But then never use the same branches the eagles have two branches they use the Osperys a couple others must not like the smell of each other never seam either there at the same time.

Another gravel pit I worked out of for 4 years was more like a wildlife park then an industrial site with Deer, Squirels, raccoon's, Trutles, Nutra, And a dozen different bird species from Great Blue Herons and white Egrets to wood ducks and Redtail and Coopers hawks.

I used to always carry my 600mm f8.0 mirror lens on one of my Canon FD bodies to grab what I could the cab of a dump truck makes a very effective blind LOL

Wow! That is an amazing photo, one would think it is photoshoped as this is something you do not see everyday.

Nope that is a real photo I saved a few years ago. I had used it as a screen saver on my computer for some time. If you Google 'Skagit River Bald Eagles' in the image section there is this one and many more amazing photos of them.

Regards,
TB

That is cool.

My brother has a place in northern Wisconsin, they see them all the time.

This great bird has made an amazing comeback.

Cheers, Snade