How Do Eagles Eat When the Lakes are Covered in Ice? Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The area is a little further down from the dam. CECIL WHIG PHOTO BY SCOTT SERIO A bald eagle soars, with a fish in its grasp, near the Conowingo Dam. HOW TO FREEZE THIS MOMENT? On GWGT, How to Tell Young Eagles From Adults. In October it was incredible. Conowingo Visitor Center. 1) Look for eagles in the trees along the shore line and behind the parking. Eventbrite - Dan's Camera City presents Bald Eagles of Conowingo Dam - Photo Expedition - Wednesday, November 11, 2020 - Find event and ticket information. Visitors easily see Bald Eagles, up to 100 of them, from the viewing platforms and paved walkway of the park. Subsequent research confirmed that DDE, a metabolite of DDT, does indeed cause eggshell thinning, in a direct dose-dependent fashion, at least in the American kestrel, a smaller relative of the bald eagle. Of course, the Bald Eagles are the stars of the show, even though I was told warblers bring in many bird watchers, (some birdwatchers seen in the gallery below). Annual visit to Conowingo Dam to see hundreds of eagles. On Saturday, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Exelon will host this year's Eagle Day at the Conowingo Dam Fisherman's Wharf and Park below the dam. I am almost back at the parking lot when the bald eagle comes soaring in overhead. The trail ends at Stafford Road, just beyond the furnace. Every winter well over 100 Bald Eagles gather at Conowingo Dam, along the lower Susquehanna River in northern Maryland to feast on fish which are sucked through the giant turbines as this dam generates electricity for the Baltimore area. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Moreover, 300 American Bald Eagles gather at the Conowingo Dam annually by Thanksgiving, which serves as a major breeding, nesting, and foraging ground. Keeping an eye on the eagles perched on the towers lets you anticipate their fishing runs. That is still more than I see here, but nothing compared when the migrating eagles pass through. Since I come from the north in Pennsylvania, I can tell you to take Route 222 S (Rock Spring Road) to Route 1 South into Maryland. The likelihood is this warm weather trend this year. They also dine on waterbirds, turtles, snakes, frogs, crabs, crayfish, rodents, hares, raccoons, baby seals, and even larger mammals. You are 59 miles from it I think. 1775 Susquehanna River Road (MD Route 222), Conowingo, MD 21918 (410) 996-8101. The address is 2569 Shures Landing Road, Darlington, MD 21034, but there are very few signs. At one time this town boasted forges, furnaces, mills, a boarding house, a school, and a post office. There is no charge to enter the park and children are welcome. The dam is a massive concrete edifice, 4,648 feet long and 105 feet high. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. To my right is the remains of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal, now long abandoned and largely filled in and overgrown with trees – maples, oaks, sycamores, poplars, and birches. You want to park as close to the Dam as possible because the Black … Conowingo Dam address: 2569 Shures Landing Road, Darlington, Maryland 21034. This is the perfect time to talk about the light at Conowingo Dam. Capturing these amazing birds takes such patience and skill…Your really got so many great shots. A Guide to Viewing Bald Eagles at Conowingo Dam, American Bald Eagles - Don't Go to Jail For One, Tundra Swans Ready to Fly to the Next Staging Spot. The Annual Bald Eagle Festival sponsored by the Conowingo Power Dam last weekend usually draws many bald eagle viewers and photographers. Take the very windy road for 0.7 miles to Shure’s Landing and make a very sharp left. The plant is considered a secondary generating facility, providing power only when demand is high. The Conowingo Eagles Day event to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Conowingo Dam Pavilion which is located at 2569 Shures Landing Road in Darlington. The Conowingo Visitor Center has a Facebook page which gives updates on the conditions and status at the Dam and features outstanding photos of eagles. It was a wonderful location having so many of them. A large concentration of eagles fish and scavenge for shad, channel catfish and carp at the base of the Conowingo Dam in Maryland. Every winter well over 100 Bald Eagles gather at Conowingo Dam, along the lower Susquehanna River in northern Maryland to feast on fish which are sucked through the giant turbines as this dam generates electricity for the Baltimore area. A bald eagle sits in a tree above the Susquehanna River at the Conowingo Dam. Visitors easily see Bald Eagles, up to 100 of them, from the viewing platforms and paved walkway of the park. Yet, for people who visit Conowingo Dam in Darlington, Maryland, near the York County border this time of year, that is a common occurrence. Conowingo offers easy and accessible eagle watching and photography, especially in late fall and winter. At any rate, in the years subsequent to the EPA ban on DDT, the population of bald eagles in the lower 48 states rebounded dramatically, from a low of 412 breeding pairs in 1963 to over 11,000 breeding pairs by 2007, at which point the bald eagle was removed from the list of threatened and endangered species. Photographers Conowingo is considered to be one of the best places to watch Bald Eagles for its large concentration of eagles, with the sun nearly always behind the viewer. A variety of factors were responsible, including habitat destruction, legal and illegal hunting, and lead poisoning from lead shot. It will be very cold there this weekend. Photo Tips for First TIme Visitors to Conowingo Dam; The following piece is aimed at newer photographers that are preparing for their first trip to Conwoingo Dam to see the eagles as they flock to the dam in the winter. What a wonderful experience and privilege to capture, I so wish I could have been there, I love these one off captures, they are so special to us! Eagles start breeding in January anyway, but I am guessing the warmer weather sent them on their way. Conowingo Dam Bald Eagles from Mike Lemery on Vimeo. Beyond that is the side of the river valley, rising up abruptly, almost vertically, forming a high wall, thickly forested and strewn with giant boulders. They're often found numbering several dozen to even a hundred or more! The photo to the right was shot at 380 mm. This area also provides access to the river and is a popular fishing location. US Route 1 crosses the river on top of the dam. Good God…Look at that guy’s camera! By now, most of the snow has melted. Tour attendees will park in the Shuresville Road parking lot and take a bus to the Conowingo Dam. I’d like to go there sometime. Award for Outstanding Conservation Engineering In September 2010, the Conowingo Dam Fishing Enhancements Projectin Darlington, Md., received the Award of Meritfrom the Carl Anderson Conservation Project Engineering Awards. The area is an extremely popular area to view Bald Eagles. Witness bald eagles in the wild from Conowingo Fisherman's Park in Darlington, Maryland. Propelled by the rapid steady strokes of its long powerful wings, a bald eagle zooms over the tops of trees at the edge of the cliff overlooking the river valley below. It’s time for me to start heading back. My husband is a wildlife photographer that specializes in bird photography. The rapid fire of camera shutters sounded a little like tiny machine guns shooting down small fighter planes, I heard one kid say. We got to witness some fishing by the Eagles. Have you been to Conowingo Dam and witnessed bald eagles feeding? The reason some countries stopped using DDT to control mosquitoes was because overuse of that pesticide led to the development of resistance – just as Rachel Carson had warned. Another factor was thinning eggshells, which led to eggs breaking before they could hatch. Nearly 200 million tons of sediment pollution have accumulated behind the dam. It is quite the show. This is the Stafford Flint Furnace. Up to 11 species of gulls also gather at the dam from mid-October through mid-March, but other birds such as great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, black vultures, terns, osprey, cormorants, anhingas, and ducks may also be seen. Here is a link to a site for directions to Conowingo Dam. Went back on 2 Jan 2021 and saw so many eagles. This is a birdwatchers paradise, as huge numbers of otherwise rare birds flock here, I have seen the parking area crowded with photographers with extra long lenses taking photos of the large numbers of eagle that concentrate here for the abundant food. Route 1 becomes Conowingo Road. EDIT: yes, it's Eagle Day Saturday. You will move towards the dam later as the sun sets behind the trees, so having your vehicle centrally located is a good idea. It is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the US, with a height of 105 feet and a length of 4,648 feet. Tundra Swans Ready to Fly to the Next Staging Spot, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. The bald eagles entertain spectators from all over the world at Conowingo Dam's Fisherman's Wharf & Park. This area is considered one of the best spots in the eastern United States for viewing our national bird, the bald eagle. Then it begins following Deer Creek, the largest tributary of the Susquehanna River. With the remarkable comeback of the bald eagle nationwide in the last couple of decades, few Lancaster County residents have not seen the majestic raptor at one time or another. The wildlife park is run and maintained by Exelon Corporation, the owner of the hydroelectric plant. We saw a few eagles around the dam. My journey begins at Fisherman’s Park, a facility built and maintained by the Exelon Corporation, just south of the dam at the end of Shure’s Landing Road. The generation schedule can be accessed by the following phone numbers. Here you can see our national… 1st visit was in Dec 2020. In addition to powering homes and businesses, the Conowingo Dam produces economic and environmental benefits for both the state and local communities throughout the region. I think if I had advice to offer, it would be spend more than an hour here. Lychenheim, who used to work on the Hubble Space Telescope for NASA, started the Conowingo Bald Eagles Facebook page nine years ago to provide tips for viewing eagles at the dam. While shots of the hundreds of gulls (above gallery) aren’t likely to amaze the masses, they are still nice to see against a perfect blue sky such as we had when I was there. To some, it appeared the the “silent spring” Rachel Carson had warned us about, in her book of the same title, was upon us. The dam also happens to be near the northern boundary of the park, which is a fantastic birding spot … Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. We will congrgrate at the viewing platform closer to the dam. Details Details Visitors can learn about the history of Conowingo Hydroelectric Generating Station, the role of hydroelectricity as a renewable clean energy source and the ecology, wildlife and recreational activities that exist in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. No other bird in North America can possibly be mistaken for an adult bald eagle. This furnace is the only remnant of the once-thriving town of Stafford, which got its start in 1749 with the construction of the Rock Forge, an iron forge built by entrepreneur George Rock. Perhaps, little by little, we can learn to live in harmony with nature. The park was built in 2009 for birders and fishermen, and the best part of watching the eagles is when THEY fight over a fish. I love how easily you give us the details to make for a great trip….I am amazed at all the people and amenities there. Great information. Change ). The generators produce power at 13,800 volts, which is stepped up to 220,000 volts for transmission, mostly to the Philadelphia area. Its western side is topped by a fantastically ornate steely gray tiara of transformers and God knows what else. A beautiful picnic area with views of the Conowingo Dam and the Susquehanna River. The reservoir provides drinking water for the City of Baltimore and the Chester Water Authority, as well as cooling water for the Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station—not to mention habitat for fish and wildlife, and opportunities for boating, fishing, and birdwatching. I have maintained the Conowingo to Broad Creek section since 1987. As I settle into the car for the drive home, I take a moment to reflect. The kids joined seasoned photographers along the river bank all vying for a prime viewing location. Thanks for that posting. Bald Eagle Conowingo Dam, Darlington, MD . People travel from all over to view and photograph the birds. The Conowingo Dam supports a 9,000-acre reservoir covering what was once the village of Conowingo, which was ultimately resettled a mile north of the dam to make way for the project. 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