I played hookey on Friday afternoon, dug out my binoculars and headed down Route 1 to the Conowingo Dam in Maryland in search of bald eagles. Standing on the west bank of the Susquehanna, I immediately spotted two of them perched on one of the concrete abutments at the base of the dam. And just a few minutes later I saw an eagle weave through the high-tension lines ("He's teasing us," muttered the photographer next to me, who wanted a clear shot of eagle and blue sky without power lines).
Then the eagle swooped down, plucked a fish out of the river with its talons and flew off, right toward me. It was spectacular. As he flew over, I heard a barrage of camera shutters, like when Nicole Kidman poses for the paparazzi on the red carpet. The wildlife photographers who gather at the dam are an interesting and patient bunch. The most serious ones dress in camouflage and even shroud their gigantic, tripod-mounted lenses in camo.
I highly recommend a trip to the dam to see our national bird, which has made a remarkable recovery since the pesticide DDT was banned 40 years ago (the chemical, funneled up the food chain, was causing their eggs to crack).
Saturday, Nov. 8, is Conowingo Eagles Day, with presentations on the dam and wildlife photography. The event will take place at the Dam pavilion on Shures Landing Road from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can sign up at rsvp@supportconowingodam.com, and there's more information on the "Support Conowingo Dam" Facebook page.
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