Getting back to Mongaup Falls just after sunrise required a 0545 wakeup call, but was totally worth it! Sadly, the activity at the Mongaup blind was mostly taking place down the lake, far out of range, and directly in the flare of the rising sun. The juveniles made a few passes up by the blind, but within an hour I was heading down around the corner to the Plank Road site, really just a pull off along the side of the river.
How many eagles can you find in this photo?
When you see a line of cars seven deep along the side of the road, you know that something is going on…or that they’re all just sitting there assuming that the others are parked there for a reason. The activity was actually slow for a while, but when you got a good gap between the trees you quickly saw that there were a lot of eagles there. At one point I counted five in a single pine tree!
Juvenile Bald Eagle flyover at Mongaup Falls blind
Back to the blind for another try there, this time with more success – a couple of good flyovers, although the fishing action was still minimal and taking place at least a mile down the lake. Hung out for a while and then turned for home, swinging by the Zane Gray site in Lackawaxen, and thank the gods I did! I’d driven way out to Mongaup Falls based on forum reports that it was the hub of a great deal of eagle activity in the mornings, and while there certainly were a lot of eagles there, good shooting opportunities were somewhat limited. Down at Zane Gray, where two eagles a morning is considered normal, I was treated to a real surprise and a hell of a show!
Adult Bald Eagle at the Zane Gray site
This guy was sitting in a tree right over the parking lot, well within range of the 400mm, with the late morning light coming down on him perfectly! It doesn’t get any better than this when it comes to eagles in trees. He sat there for several minutes, while the three of us in the parking lot admired him, and then it was time to move on.
Not only a great perched shot, but a fun take-off as well, and then a great soaring shot – the only good shot of a soaring adult I got this morning. I just can’t say how thankful I am that I decided to stop by Zane Gray on my way home; it’s right along the way, not a five minute detour, and was totally worth it.
Bald Eagle from below
One final shot as he circled back and made a low, slow pass over us, before climbing out down the river. About this time it actually started to snow out of mostly-blue sky, large icy flakes (hence the spots in the photo).
Incredible morning, well worth the 3hrs of driving. I don’t know when I’ll get another morning like this, possibly not until next winter, so to say that this is one of those experiences that I’ll cherish is something of an understatement. What I can tell you for sure is, if you have the chance to see Bald Eagles in the wild, do it – it is completely different from seeing them in captivity. In the wild, they look bigger somehow, and they are definitely an apex predator, with the attitude to go with it. Simply incredible to be around them like this!
