The Bald Eagle Soars

Bald Eagle soars over Delaware County, October 6, 2011.

So I'm driving home from work this evening.  I take the back roads, mostly county and township routes through corn, soybeans, and woods.  I look up, down, and around, because I never know what I'm going to find.  As I was driving the Subaru tonight though, I looked up at a group of swirling turkey vultures.  The lowest one baffled me for a second, because it had a white head.  BALD EAGLE! I slam on the breaks, back up the car, park on a farm lane, and get whip out the telephoto lens.   It's still gliding above me, and I fire off a salvo of images before it slowly drifts out of camera range.

Everyone loves the American bald eagle.  In fact, my posts on the eagles of Highbanks Metropark are the most visited pages on my entire blog (which is quickly approaching 1000 published posts).

Eagles can be seen across Ohio.  And although I see them often, I rarely get such a treat on my drive home.

-Tom

(After closer inspection of this photo, this bird may have a red band on its left leg- what do you think?  I'll check some of my other photos to see if I can confirm the presence of a band)

Bald Eagles at Highbanks Metropark

Attending the nest

This past Sunday, March  19th, I spent almost two hours observing the bald eagles at Highbanks Metropark.  If you'd like to see them, I detail all that you need in this post.  Yes, the eagles are far away, but from the platform at highbanks they can easily be observed with a good pair of binoculars.  All it takes is a little bit of patience.

When I first arrived, the was little activity at the nest.  In fact, I wasn't able to tell if an eagle was even in the nest.  After a few test shots, I finally did see a white head and a yellow bill resting on the edge of the sticks.  About a half hour later, the eagle in the nest emerged.

The nest sits atop the branches of a tall sycamore tree above the Olentangy River

Both the male and female eagles incubate the eggs, and at various times during the day, they switch duty.  When I first arrived, only one eagle was in the area, but after about an hour, this bird flew up the river corridor from the south and alighted high above the riverbank.  By this time, a small crowd had gathered at the platform, and we were ready for some eagle action- they didn't disappoint.

High above the Olentangy

This eagle was hungry- it wasn't long before it started diving down towards the river, and then flying back up into the trees with sustenance.

Can I capture a meal?

Yes, I often think of bald eagles as eating carrion, but this one appeared to capture fish right out of the river- It's possible the fish were already dead, stunned gizzard shad from the recent flooding. 

Gizzard shad perhaps?

 Whatever the fish was or how the eagle captured it, it was quite thrilling to watch an eagle obtaining prey above the Olentangy, in the middle of Central Ohio.

Let's eat.

Although I had to rush back home to help with the kids, I left with a smile on my face after watching our national's symbol soaring around Central Ohio.

If you would like to see the eagles at Highbanks, I have posted details here.

Tom

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

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

Dillon Lake State Park, Just Downstream from Blackhand

And you thought my day was long with just the blackhand pictures! This past Saturday, after my gorge visited, I decided to follow the Licking River down further down into Ohio's hill country and visit Dillon State Park. Yes, that is right. In Ohio, our rivers flow from the flat uplands down into the hills. Isn't that strange? You normally think of water flowing from the top of the hills down into the flat areas.

Dillon State Park surrounds a massive reservoir created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I pulled into the beach parking lot, which is up on a high, flat plateau which overlooks down onto a decidedly artificial beach. The reservoir had been drawn down for the winter. I imagine it fills quickly with the spring rains, and the water is released gradually over the summer. A system of similar dams across the Ohio valley ensures year round navigation on the Ohio River. The dams and reservoirs provide habitat that we wouldn't have otherwise in this part of Ohio.

The plateau is high and far from the water, offering a magnificent and sweeping view of the drowned valley. To my right was almost completely dry, to my left, solid ice, and in front, a small patch of open water was frequented by black ducks, hooded mergansers, a single grebe, and plenty of Canada geese.

Looking through my binoculars and panning the frozen lake to the west, I spotted spotted a speck of brown resting on the ice. A log? A rock? I need to get closer.

I walked down the bank several hundred yards closer to the distant speck. I stopped on the grassy hillside, raised my binoculars again, and bam, there it was. Finally, I had seen the elusive Licking River bald eagles that everyone had been asking me about!

This individual was alone. It looked to be cleaning up after a meal, but it was difficult to see. I wish I had a spotting scope on this day. In Ohio, Bald Eagles are now quite common. 649 were spotted during the most recent winter survey. Still, most often my views of them are as they soar above, so it was thrilling watch this individual clean up its meal. Fortunately, I found a willow to crouch behind. You can imagine what the wind was like coming off the ice!