"The clouds were torn by the wind, and a red sunset slashed the West.  Seeing the sudden gleam in the gloom Bilbo looked round.  He gave a great cry: he had seen a sight that made his heart leap, dark shapes small yet majestic against the distant glow. ‘The Eagles!  The Eagles!’ he shouted. ‘The Eagles are coming!’"

Bald Eagle large raptor bird in flight over water at Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA.

Friday, December 1, 2017 - My wife and I drove eleven hours from Georgia to Pennsylvania for a friend’s wedding. In the days preceding the trip, I became quite excited to discover that we'd be just 45 miles from the Conowingo Dam and one of the highest concentrations of Bald Eagles east of the Mississippi River. A fellow animal shelter and nature photographer had shared information about this site after reading about my humorous, and somewhat hazardous attempt to photograph a single Bald Eagle while driving across the bridge onto Hilton Head Island.  

Bald Eagle perched in tree on Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River, Maryland, USA

Our day began around 8:00 AM as we left the small borough of Manheim and drove through the rolling countryside of Lancaster and Amish country. Just after passing the Maryland border, we came upon the dam. The road passes directly on top of the 4,600 foot cement structure. ​

​​​The Conowingo hydroelectric dam is located on the Lower Susquehanna River just south of the Pennsylvania/Maryland border. It is managed by Exelon Generation. It provides a feeding grounds for the hundreds of Eagles that gather each October through January. As water is released through the dam’s turbines, the fish are stunned and float along the surface of the river downstream. The Eagles then take to the air, swooping and diving for the bounty. Once fish is in talon, the fights begin: aerial battles; locked claws; a true feeding frenzy. 

Bald Eagles await the opening of the dam.

​We arrived at the dam around 9 AM, driving over the long structure and getting a first glimpse to the rocky shore and wide river below. The main parking lot was already full, so we had a short bus ride from a shuttle lot. As soon as we exited the bus, the driver pointed out a large white-headed beauty perched in the trees just overhead. Not wanting to look like an amateur and frantically grab my camera, I merely nodded, thanked her, and moved on down toward the river.

The first impression wasn’t the gathering of eagles, but the gathering of photographers! The fence along the river was lined with photographers and their long lenses... huge lenses... like telescopes! Immense tripods and heads; boxes and boxes of gear and equipment. It was hard to not be intimidated. Each photographer had his little spot staked out along the fence and simply sat and waited for some action.

As we neared the river, I scanned the area. No Eagles in the air; no aerial battles like youtube had shown. But as my eyes began to focus on the rocky shore of the far side of the river, dozens upon dozens of eagles came into view. So many! On the rocks, in the trees, on the electrical towers, on the dam walls. All of them sitting and waiting for the release of the river and the stunning of the fish. ​

Every October to January hundreds of Bald Eagles gather at the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA.

Every October to January hundreds of Bald Eagles gather at the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA. Birds perch on nearby rocks and power utility towers waiting for the release of the dam and the stunning of fish through the turbines.

Within just a few minutes, one large white-headed Eagle came skimming along the surface of the water, dove to grab a fish, and turned up toward my camera. I became quite hopeful that I’d get some great shots this clear, cool morning. The online videos and photo galleries I had seen were of dramatic aerial battles, talon versus talon, chases, thievery, squabbles and more. As soon as one eagle made a catch, he was immediately pursued by several others scapping to steal his quarry. I had called the Conowingo Dam hotline the evening before and was informed by a recording that no releases were planned for the near future. But still I was hopeful to capture some of the flight shots and skirmishes. 

Juvenile brown Bald Eagle large raptor bird in flight over water at Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA.

At one point, the sirens sounded and red lights flashed signalling rising water. But no water was released. Unfortunately, the next hour wasn’t as fruitful as I had dreamed. ​Here and there an eagle would lift off the rocks, skim the surface of the water, and sail off overhead into the trees behind us. 

Many of the birds were brown juveniles or blotchy white and brown youngsters. As the juveniles age, their brown feathers are molted in patches and may take a year and half to complete. They do not bear the striking white heads and tails until they are matured and ready to mate. During this younger phase, they may be mistaken for Golden Eagles. At one point during our short visit, a juvenile accustomed to the presence of photographers, landed in a tree just over the line of photographers sitting on the fence line. The relative silence of the cool morning was immediatly broken by hundreds of shutter clicks on cameras in contiuous shooting mode. This handsome young bird received more attention than Princess Diana did from her paparazzi!

Every October to January hundreds of Bald Eagles gather at the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA.

After an hour, not much more action had taken place. My wife was cold and we had other things to do. After all, we came to Pennsylvania for a wedding. My eagle trip was an added bonus. While waiting for the shuttle bus to take us back to our car, I shot some far-off eagles assisted by tripod and teleconverter but wasn’t too happy with the results (the teleconverter really softens the sharpness and makes autofocusing difficult). Just taking a moment to scan through the trees behind us revealed several beautiful birds. But most of the photographers' attention was set upon waiting for the release of the dam and the in-flight shots. 

Every October to January hundreds of Bald Eagles gather at the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA. Birds perch on nearby rocks and power utility towers waiting for the release of the dam and the stunning of fish through the turbines.

Bald Eagle perched in electrical tower on Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River, Maryland, USA

Before leaving we stopped at the visitor center. I was absolutely floored by the high quality, sharp photos in their gallery. I knew my camera didn’t contain a shot like one of those. Still, I was thankful to see such a wonderful place and such majestic birds. And later reviewing and editing my photos, I didn't do too bad for a 1 hour and 15 minute visit. My daughter and I have paddled and hiked for hours in Georgia for the hope of seeing just one eagle. But here were hundreds gathered in one spot! ​Truly the place to come if you can't visit Alaska!

Susquehanna River in Darlington, Maryland.
Partly cloudy, 42°.
Sunrise 7:08 AM, Sunset 4:40 PM,
Day length 9 hours 32 minutes.
​Moon: 96% waxing gibbous.

Bald Eagles perched on electrical tower at Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River, Maryland, USA

Every October to January hundreds of Bald Eagles gather at the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA.

Every October to January hundreds of Bald Eagles gather at the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA.

Still blue water of the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, USA.