Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Highbanks Metropark Bald Eagles 2011

Highbanks Overlook- March 20, 2011-  Click on image for a MUCH larger photograph.

The bald eagles are once again nesting at Highbanks Metropark, and it is quite a place to visit.  By far, the most popular page on my blog the past year has been last year's posting about the highbanks bald eagles.

The eagles have apparently built a new nest.  If you click on the image above, I've drawn an arrow that points at a dark spot that is the nest.  Although the overlook is really far away, the eagles fly up and down the corridor of the Olentangy River and they can be seen with the naked eye.  To see them in the nest, however, you really need to have a good spotting scope.  On weekend afternoons, metroparks volunteers are often setup with a spotting scope aimed right at the nest.  Take a look at their Facebook page for more updates on the eagles and when the volunteers will be staffing the overlook platform.

To get to the platform, drive into highbanks, and turn left at the first picnic area.  Drive through the picnic areas until you get to the last small parking lot on the left.  Park.  While facing the woods, you'll want to take the trail that heads to the left.  Metroparks has done the work for you after that- they've placed very nice signs that lead you back to the overlook.  Here's a map.  The walk is about a mile through the woods and up and down hills, but the path is solid crushed limestone, doable even with a jogging stroller.  If you can't find it or have questions, just check in at the nature center. 

And finally, I think one of the biggest questions I've heard about this nest is the web camera.  It is NOT up and running yet, but hopefully it will be soon.  I know it will be extremely popular.

If you can, get out to Highbanks and check out the eagles.  This past Sunday I watched them attend the nest, soar up the valley of the Olentangy, perch high in the trees, and dive down twice into the river to catch and eat fish.  More on that, including photos, will be coming soon.  It was awesome.

Tom

4 comments:

  1. what focal length lense would be needed to get a decent shot?
    I have a 70-200 f2.8 zoom.
    Jody

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jody- to really get anything usable, you'll need at least a 400 mm focal length on a crop frame digital camera. If you put a 2x teleconverter on your 70-200, the eagles will still be very small in your viewfinder. Check out my images in the next post. They were shot at 400 mm on my Canon 7d and are extreme crops.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Here is a link to a fascinating eagle nest cam in Virgina (with 3 eagle chicks).
    http://tinyurl.com/yhfat54

    ReplyDelete