As bald eagle populations climb, Maryland’s Conowingo Dam offers stunning views of national bird
Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos
CONOWINGO, Md. - Once teetering on the brink of extinction, the bald eagle - the national symbol of the United States - is now thriving across the county.
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New numbers released Wednesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say their populations have grown to more than 71,400 nesting pairs and an estimated 316,700 individual birds.
And for local wildlife enthusiasts - there's no better place in Maryland to see their triumphant rebound firsthand than Maryland's Conowingo Dam.
Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos
Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos
Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos
SEARCH FOR ELUSIVE SNOWY OWL TAKES WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER TO MARYLAND'S ASSATEAGUE ISLAND
The Conowingo Dam, in the Susquehanna River along the border between Cecil and Harford counties, offers a place for the birds to rest and feed, says wildlife photographer Konstantine 'Gus' Mamalis.
(Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos)
(Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos)
Mamalis says sometimes as many as 200 bald eagles fill the area around the dam and feed on the Susquehanna's fish. "The turbines in the dam stun the fish that are swimming down river making it easy pickings for the eagles," he said. He said that the eagles make their way down the river every fall and sometimes can make two to three month pit stops at the dam.
Mamalis has photographed the eagles at the dam over a dozen times. He told us photographers who frequent the dam nicknamed one of the birds seen time and time again ‘Scruffy.' He says you can tell that the eagle is tough and resilient by its beak, which looks to have been injured.
Nicknamed ‘Scruffy' by photographers, this bald eagle frequents the Conowingo Dam and looks like he has an injury to his beak. | Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos
SHORT-EARED OWLS MAKE FARM IN MARYLAND’S FREDERICK COUNTY THEIR TEMPORARY WINTER HOME
Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos
Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos
Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos
Bald eagles reached an all-time low in the lower 48 states in 1963 when only 417 known nesting pairs were known to exist. But after decades of protection, including banning the pesticide DDT and placement of the eagle on the endangered species list in more than 40 states, the bald eagle population has continued to grow.
The national bird was removed from the list of threatened or endangered species in 2007.
(Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos)
(Konstantine Mamalis / @konstantinephotos)
Maryland's Department of Natural Resources says bald eagles can be found in the state all year round and are mostly concentrated along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries like the Susquehanna.
Other large roosts of bald eagles can be found at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland's Eastern Shore and near Aberdeen Proving Ground at the head of the Chesapeake Bay.
The Associated Press contributed to this report