The "Eagle Sushi" Story

Fishermen as well as photographers stand in front of the dam.

It was an ordinary day.  I can feel the excitement as I make the final turn and head toward the water.  Have my DSLR already set to "S" with 1/1250 of a second pre-programed and the 90-300 mm lens in place.  Parked along the Susquehanna River in one of the last spaces available.  Wow, didn't realize that it would be so crowded today, but then I remembered that today was Veteran's Day and quite a few people have off today.  

An avalanche of cameras and photographers.

My adventure for the day is to photograph the American Bald Eagle as it feeds along the banks of the Susquehanna just below the Conowingo Dam in Maryland.  The dam is Maryland's largest source of renewable energy, producing more clean energy than all other Maryland sources combined.  The area around the dam provides nesting and foraging grounds for the eagle.  

A mature Bald Eagle I captured just
before I quit for the day.

I called the dam office this morning to get the times that they would be opening the gates to allow more water to pass through and the recorded message told me which gates and how long each would be open.  Not much flowing today, but the weather is great and I have nothing else on my calendar so I thought the 50 minute ride through southern Lancaster, PA would be fun.  Evidently so did plenty of others.  The fence was lined with lots of people in camouflage with their two-foot long lenses sitting on multi-directional tripods.  I knew this would be the case since Carol and I made a visit a couple of weeks ago and at that time she said, "Looks like you're going to need a longer lens to fit in here."  

A pair of Herons taking flight.

Well, I'm convinced that my camera will be find and I have left my tripod in the car so I can be more flexible when shooting the photos.  Walked the distance to the dam, all the time checking out the variety of birds that were aloft over the water that was flowing from the gates of the dam.  

This Bald Eagle is just about mature.  His head is turning
white, but he still had the brown and white body feathers.

Plenty of seagulls as well as cormorants, herons and a few geese.  Then I saw one.  Majestic would be a good word to describe the Bald Eagle in flight as he circles the water looking for a meal.  Positioned myself along the fence and waited and waited for an Eagle to make a move towards the water.  The Bald Eagle is a bird with a blackish-brown body, white head and tail and yellow feet and beak.  But, it only achieves that color when it matures.  Before that time, usually four years, the juvenile Eagle is a mixture of brown and white with a black beak.  

Another juvenile Eagle.

Today's sightings for me tend to me mostly of the juvenile variety.  But, that doesn't mean that they are small.  The body can be up to three feet in length with a wingspan of nearly six feet as well as weigh ten pounds or more.  It can lift about four pounds, more than enough to allow it to swoop down and drift along the water, grabbing a fish close to the top and heading to the nearest safe spot to feed on it.  After a few sightings, but with poor results (my wife may be right about the lens) I see a juvenile Eagle making a dive towards the water.  Lowers its feet and plucks a large fish from the churning water.  I managed to get a fairly good shot as it flies along the water with the fish and then lose track of it as it lifts above the trees I am standing beneath.  

Again, another juvenile Eagle.

Then I see everyone running towards me with camera directed toward the tree I am under.  I then only realize that the bird of prey has landed in the tree with the fish.  Wow!  Super neat!!  He's pulling it apart as he holds it down against the branch.  Fish is putting up a fight, but will be a certain loser in this case.  I must have taken over 100 shots as I stood there watching the event.  Rat-a-ta-tat was all I could hear as all the cameras were in full motion mode.  Finally, after swallowing the tail, the bird takes flight, opening its wings for the onslaught of DSLR members under it.  

This guy came prepared!

Eagle sushi I think to myself.   I talk with a few of the other photo- graphers as we stand and wait for more action.  Fellow next to me is from Harrisburg while his friend is from somewhere in New England.  The friend makes a voyage every year so he can view the Bald Eagles at Conowingo Dam during  this time of year.  He tells me that at times he has seen more that 200 in a day.  Today I may have sighted a dozen, but it was still exciting.  The show that these birds present is nothing less than remarkable.  I might even make another stop in a few days for more excitement.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Check out the photos below.  I apologize for the quality of some.  I will have to listen to the advice of my wife, I guess.

Searching …….

After the catch.  You can see the fish in his grasp. Click on photo to enlarge. 

Landed in the tree above me with the fish. 

Began his meal. 

Just about complete. 

Spreading his wings and taking flight.  What a majestic sight!