Bald Eagles in North America during Spring? (1 Viewer)

Hi there,

I'm planning to be in the USA (and possibly parts of Canada) during April-May of next year and need to photograph bald eagles as part of this.

If anyone could please tell me what states/locations would be the best choices for this I would greatly appreciate it.

FYI my itinerary as it stands includes Florida, Maryland, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and California; but I'm willing to make an additional flight to a particular hot spot if necessary.

Many thanks!

The lower Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, just across the border from Maryland has several nesting pair of bald eagles, so that might be a place to check out, depending on where in Maryland you'll be. Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna just south of the border in maryland is excellent for eagles in winter, but I don't think they'll still be there in April.

Florida should be a slam-dunk almost anywhere you're going, it has one of the largest Bald Eagle populations in the lower 48. Locals could give you more specifics based on where you're already planning on visiting.

How urban are Bald Eagles? And are nest sites forbidden for visitors?
Our pair of White-tailed Eagles nests on the island downtown and that area is completely forbidden for visitors during the nesting season, which is the whole spring and at least part of summer, so in April you would be able to see them only briefly when they venture closer to city.

Zheljko said:

How urban are Bald Eagles? And are nest sites forbidden for visitors?
Our pair of White-tailed Eagles nests on the island downtown and that area is completely forbidden for visitors during the nesting season, which is the whole spring and at least part of summer, so in April you would be able to see them only briefly when they venture closer to city.

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It depends on where you are. In the east, they tend to be fairly well protected. They usually nest along big rivers and larger lakes, which often are man-made. In many cases those lakes are also used for recreation (fishing, water-skiing, etc.), so they tend to cordon off the area of the lake near the nest to keep disturbance down. I've also found that the locals can be very protective of "their" birds. But they're actually relatively tolerant of some human presence.

If you're visiting parks with large bodies of water in South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming, you shouldn't have too much trouble seeing some. I don't think I've ever been to Yellowstone without seeing at least a few. Even here in Nebraska there are a few nests along the big rivers. It also sounds like Florida has potential. I highly recommend checking out eBird; you can narrow your results by date to find sites where eagles have been seen during that time of year.

It is of course illegal to "disturb" a nest site, but I don't know if there are rules about specific distances to keep away. I believe area closures are on a case-by-case basis, and states may have their own policies in addition to the federal ones. Obey any posted signs, don't go off-trail towards a nest, and be courteous to any individual birds regardless of nest presence, and you should be fine.

The great thing about this thread is that there are so many places to see Bald Eagles in the lower 48. Their recovery is really a success story.