Sunday, March 14, 2010

Highbanks Metropark Bald Eagle Nest


There's nothing that brings the people out like a bald eagle, and these two birds are doing just that at Highbanks Metropark.  We here in landlocked central Ohio have been gaining more eagles and nests over the years, but they are still quite a rare sight.  And now, there is a nest about two miles north of our home, high above the Olentangy River in a sycamore tree.  I might also add that this nest is over a section of the river that is an officially dedicated State Scenic River, and a part of the Ed Hutchins State Nature Preserve.  It is protection efforts like these that allow eagles to find a home at highbanks away from the hustle and bustle of a rapidly developing southern Delaware county.

If you go to see the eagles nest, bring your binoculars.   The birds are about 350 yards from the overlook deck. If you're there on the weekend, most likely a metroparks volunteer will have a spotting scope aimed right at the nest.  Be prepared to walk about a mile and a quarter back to the overlook deck, which is located at the extreme southern end of the park.  Here's a great map-  you just have to get yourself to the overlook deck.

Friends, keep your fingers crossed, and hope for a successful hatch.

UPDATE- 5/9/2010

In their May electronic newsletter, Metroparks is reporting that two eaglets were confirmed at the Highbanks Nest.  Yes!  A successful hatch!  Since the leaves are out now, the nest is NO LONGER VIEWABLE from the platform- the overlook deck that I mentioned above.  Volunteers have stopped staffing this area.  This doesn't mean, however, that the adult eagles can't be observed flying high above the park.

In great other news, metroparks has also confirmed the presence of one eaglet in a nest at Three Creeks Metropark.  This nest is not viewable from a public area.

Cheers and Happy Eagle watching,

Tom

14 comments:

  1. I'm loving it, I can't wait to go back on a sunny blue sky day when the eagles are more active.

    Tom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lucky YOU! We have more Bald Eagles here in Virginia. While they are not common place the numbers are increasing. No matter how numerous they become I'll still stop and stare!

    Good luck to you and them with the nest!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We just went Wed. and it was pretty spectacular watching them move around. One of the park volunteers, Walter, had a scope that we could see them with.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Don- I must say that they have become so common place here along the Lake Erie shoreline that I have lost that sense of awe when I'm in that area, but here in Central Ohio, I still have it!

    Excellent- I also met Walter, he's a great ambassador for the eagles.

    Tom

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've discovered a bald eagle nest in
    Franklin Co....south Columbus.
    One was nesting the other was in flight.
    Do other's know of the nest, should I
    report it or just enjoy my find?
    R.W.

    ReplyDelete
  6. There are at least two known nests in southern Franklin County.

    ReplyDelete
  7. How did you get that shot? It is not from the observation deck. Did you walk out there or go on the other side of the river un-noticed? Nice picture though. Lucky you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yep, this shot is from the observation Deck. I took it and had a great conversation with Walter, a fantastic volunteer with metroparks and a great ambassador for the eagles.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ok..I was out there with a 70-200 and could not get in on them. Another guy was out there with a 600 could not get them. What on earth did you use? Heck the view finder the volunteer had out there this past Friday could not even zoom in that close because of all the trees in between. I can tell your shot is from some distance with lots of noise in between. Nice lens from that distance. I did sit and wait for one to take flight and come our way, but it never happened. Hoping to go back out again and catch one in flight.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I use the Canon 100-400L. It was tripod mounted, I was using a cable release, and this image is an EXTREME crop. At full telephoto (equivalent to 640mm full frame) on my crop Canon camera, the nest wasn't much more than a dot in my viewfinder. I was able to bring out some detail in the RAW file using adobe camera raw.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are very skilled Yoda! haha! Thanks for the tip. I should be able to do that easily. I just don't know my equipment really well yet. Thanks for the info. Might head back out there later this week when it clears up.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks- I must say that I was pretty bummed at how far the nest was away from the platform when I first arrived. I neglected to read the full caption on Doral Chenoweth's images and video featured at dispatch.com were NOT taken from the platform, I have been told. The images make the nest seem closer than it appears, and I think that my own image probably gives you that impression. The nest is far away. It took me 20 minutes just to find it, and I had 10x binoculars. Some visitors still never saw it except in the scope. It's far away, but it's still worth seeing, it's just fantastic that this pair is nesting just two miles north of my own home.

    Tom

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Tom for the remarkable shot of the eagles,
    and for all your work. jenny, Clintonville.

    ReplyDelete