Holtwood Eagles - PPL Holtwood

Holtwood Eagles - PPL Holtwood

The eagle nest at PPL's Holtwood Environmental Preserve has been active since 1999. Jim Smith, a consulting naturalist for PPL, provides regular updates while the nests are active.

	04/27/2009 Report No. 3 On my way to work on Friday, I took the chance to stop by several of the nesting sites at the Holtwood Environmental Preserve. At the new nest opposite the Holtwood Dam, I spotted the white head of an eagle sitting in the nest. At the Piney Island nest, I could see a mature eagle in the nest and its mate sitting in a nearby sycamore tree. Then on Sunday I witnessed a wonderful sight at the Pequea Nest: Two mature eagles playing on the beach! They were sunning themselves and drinking water before they were distracted by two immature eagles hanging out in the trees behind them. One of the mature eagles caught a fish and returned back to the nest. We believe there are chicks in the nest, but the growing leaves on the trees keep them out of sight for now.
	04/08/2009 Report No. 2 It was not an April Fool's joke last Wednesday, April 1, when I stopped by the Holtwood Dam nest after birding along the River to the North. I was at the right place and the right time to see an adult Bald Eagle fly into the nest which I reported on in February. Seemed to have delivered something to the nest, then perched on a branch just above. Even though one cannot see into this new, fairly deep nest, I believe that the female eagle is in there and on eggs or nestlings! If so, we wish her luck on the third try at Motherhood! Hopefully, this time she will be successful in producing and raising one or more eaglets. Regretfully, however, when the leaves fill out on the trees, no one will be able to obtain any good pictures. It will take frequent and careful observation to ascertain the progress of this nest. Great for the eagles, tough for the eagle watchers.
	02/12/2009 Greetings from Holtwood It’s way past time for an update on the raptors here at Holtwood, on the lower Susquehanna River and within Important Bird Area #57. Nests are becoming active all along the corridor - at least six along Lake Aldred alone. The nest on Piney Island, Lancaster Co., which can now be reported on since the Holtwood Expansion Project has been tabled, is under active incubation since the early part of February. The tower nest below the Holtwood Dam, which failed the last two years, appears to have been abandoned, but I believe this pair of eagles has begun a new nest, less than a quarter mile north of the old nest, in a sturdy old Tulip poplar, just west of the dam breast itself. This nest, in York County, is well protected, since one would have to do a lot of bush-whacking to even get near it, so we will not be able to get the great pictures that we once could during the active tenure of the tower nest. Here in Lancaster County, new nests are being discovered regularly and almost everywhere, not just along waterways. Eagles are making use of the many Amish chicken farms in the area - reproductive pressure is increasing now that so many surviving eagles from the late eighties and the nineties are returning to "set up housekeeping".
	02/11/2009 Upcoming Eagles Watch Bald Eagles have been returning to the Holtwood area and many are already sitting on their nests. Sneak a peek at these majestic birds at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7. PPL naturalist Jim Smith, who has been monitoring eagle activities for 10 years, will lead a guided tour of the eagle’s nest while recounting the history of the pair that return to nest here year after year. While on this short hike, you will learn how the Holtwood Dam makes a great home for the birds. Bring binoculars and dress for outdoor weather. The program is free and great for all ages. Please meet in the second parking lot on the right at the Lock 12 Historic Area off Route 372 on the York County side of the Norman Wood Bridge. For more information or directions, contact Karen Ament at 717-284-6274 or kament@pplweb.com.
	05/07/2008 Report No. 7 Again, for the second year, the news is not good. It appears the Holtwood nest has again failed. There was what appeared to be feeding activity on April 2. Since then, as seen in the last report, the eagle has been on the nest. Later we have been observing an empty nest. This picture is one of the latest, taken by M.E. Rice, showing the empty nest on April 29. I led a birding walk for the Lancaster County Bird Club on May 3, when we saw an adult eagle fly into the nest, grasp a talon full of sticks, and then fly upriver, to who knows where. An exact repetition of the behavior seen after last year's frozen egg removal. Others have reported to me since then that the nest appears to be empty. Viewing from Face Rock overlook on Wednesday (5/7), I witnessed an empty nest. I feel it's likely the chick, or chicks, which appeared to have been being fed the beginning of April, died. Sadly, this nest is officially unoccupied and must be considered failed.
	04/25/2008 Report No. 6 I know it's been some time since the last report, when we had evidence of the feeding of newly hatched chick(s). It appears that there may be something wrong again with this nest. All the observations so far show only an adult eagle lying in the nest, as shown in this photo by Tom Raub, a colleague in the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas project. If a chick were being fed on April 2, it would now no longer have to be brooded, and there should be very obvious, visible activity in the nest. A 3-week-old eaglet would be moving about in the nest, raising its wings and beginning to feed from cached food in the nest on its own. Parents would be nearby, but not brooding. This shot shows the adult eagle in the same position as in many previous observations, not as low as incubation, but definitely not, at this stage, on a live chick. After last year's nest failure, we will not try to interfere, but let nature take its course. Who knows what lies beneath this female American bald eagle? I surely do not!
	04/01/2008 Report No. 5 This shot was taken on a very warm April Fools' Day, and you can see that the adult in the nest is panting with her beak open and tongue out. Also note that she is lying with her back a little higher than in previous reports. Since Easter I've been checking every day for signs of hatching and becoming a little concerned as to whether there would be any eaglets. I left the area still not convinced there was a hatching, vowing to return every day until I could confirm something, one way or the other. As of April 2, I can confirm that she probably had at least one hatchling based on an observation. I'm sorry I have no pictures to show the following actions, but things happened so fast that I couldn't get my scope and camera set up in time, especially because it was toward evening and lighting was pretty bad. Fortunately my wife was with me and relayed what I was missing while setting up my gear. We approached by car and saw nothing in the nest. My heart sank. Then suddenly, the female got up from low in the nest, raised her head and chittered. She got up, moved to the edge and started eating from some food cached in the nest. She suddenly took off toward the river, just as the male came into the tower with a good-sized fish. He fed on some of the fish on the tower for a few moments. Then, grasping the fish remains in his talons, circled the tower a few times and came into the nest. He proceeded to tear off a tiny piece from the fish, turned his head toward the center of the nest, lowered it, then raised it again, showing an empty beak. If that wasn't chick-feeding behavior, then nothing is. (The above is true and not an April Fools' joke.)
	03/24/2008 Report No. 4 This Good Friday afternoon I climbed the Mason-Dixon Trail to the overlook under the power lines to see if my earlier prediction of hatch date would be correct. It seems it was premature, since I found the female still in incubation mode. I waited a long time with my scope on the nest, hoping to see some evidence of brooding a recent hatchling, but observed none. The only activity seen was infrequent lowering of her head to tear off a bit of food cached in the nest just beside her. It was probably fresh food, since I observed the mate circling the tower as I arrived in my car. I believe I just missed a food drop-off. This picture is not much different than the last one, except she is lying in a different position. Hatching must occur very shortly, within the next few days. My hope is that observers, over the long holiday weekend, did not stop too close to the tower and did not make a lot of noise, since this is a very critical time for the eagle pair. I also hope that our next eagle watch, on April 12, will be able to present a proud pair tending to one or more chicks.
	03/03/2008 Report No. 3 Our first eagle watch for the season was held March 1. Twenty participants were able to witness the female eagle incubating an unknown number of eggs in the Holtwood Dam tower nest. As in the last report, only infrequent glimpses of the top of her head and sometimes her beak were able to be made. On March 3, as I approached the nest from the road, nothing was visible — as if the nest were empty! But I knew she was in there, so I climbed the short distance on the Mason-Dixon trail to the rock outcrop under the power line, which, until we have hatching and some chick growth, will be the only place from which to get a good view of the nest. As I approached the observation point, I saw the male eagle chasing a red-tailed hawk who happened to come a little too close to the nest tower. Dad then perched briefly on the top of the nest tower, then flew off, probably to hunt for supper for his mate and himself. Sure enough, Mom was there in incubation mode, very alert and attentive to her duty. While I was there, she moved only her head to take in any changes in her surroundings with her vision six times as acute as ours. The picture I am posting, which is one of many I took, shows her lemon-yellow iris pointing directly at me. I'm sure she was taking my picture just as I took hers.
	02/21/2008 Report No. 2 I am so sorry that I have to send this non-descript photo for my second report. As I was setting up my scope and camera at 2:40 p.m., the male eagle flew into the nest with some food for his mate. He was observed actually feeding her bill-to-bill. He then flew to the top of the adjacent tower as she continued to feed. Unfortunately, I was not able to catch that moment on camera. I have to offer a picture showing only the very tip-top of her head in the center of the nest as she was finishing the food her mate brought in. This nest is definitely under incubation. Somewhere around Good Friday to Easter we can expect to see the first hatchling, provided "mom" has learned her lesson from last year and does not leave her eggs under adverse conditions.
	02/08/2008 Report No. 1 The nest at Holtwood Dam is occupied once again. This is the nest that last year failed because of the freezing of the single egg laid by a very young, new mother. This same bird, now shown in the picture standing on the left, is supervising her mate busily trying to break off a protruding stick. You can see his beak around the stick and the freshly peeled bark, indicating he has been working on this project for awhile. As I said, this is the same female from last year, as she still has an incompletely molted brown feather in her tail. The feather in her tail is what identified her last year as a new mate to the old man. Activity started as early as Jan. 22, when the pair was first observed bringing sticks to the nest. The pair was observed mating just before they returned to the nest to begin working on it again on the morning of Feb. 6. Let's hope that reports can continue for the 10th year of nesting in this tower with the fledging of the 23rd (and hopefully more) eaglet from this nest.
	04/11/2007 Report No. 2 I’m posting a picture of an empty nest and issuing a very sad report. The Holtwood Dam eagle nest — active for the last eight years — has failed this year. There are a number of scenarios that could explain this. I will list a couple after giving a little background. The last report showed the female turning an egg. This female, however, was a young 4-year-old. The old female may have died, and the male quickly mated with this one. This is the reverse of the first nesting in 1999 in which the female was mature and the male a sub-adult. This younger female had a different “disposition” and an obvious lack of experience. She began incubation at the end of February or early March. In mid-March, observers saw a juvenile eagle land in the nest, which is not unusual. Young eagles return for the first year or two to their nest site, but are usually chased off by one of the parents. However, the incubating mom was not the juvenile’s mother. The nesting eagle was probably terrified. Dad came in much later and feathers flew as he drove the intruder out. So scenario No. 1 is that the nest failed because of traumatic activity. Scenario No. 2 is the most likely. Observers noted that on April 3 — the expected hatching time for the first egg — the nest was empty for at least three hours. Temperatures then were below freezing. Subsequent dates had both eagles in and out of the nest, each evening one lying in the nest as if trying to continue incubation. The picture is since then, showing a well-built nest, but no sign of life. The success of a nest depends almost 80 percent on the female eagle. A young male and mature female — such as the pairing in 1999 — is no problem. Pairing a young female with mature male — as happened this year — is precarious. Eagle watches still will be conducted as scheduled, but now we will look for nest-building ospreys and travel the canal trails for migrant songbirds.
	03/06/2007 Report No. 1 This is the first report from the Holtwood Environmental Preserve on the nesting bald eagles here. This picture shows a female turning an egg in her nest in the transmission tower along McCall’s Ferry Road, York County, just below the Holtwood Dam. This very public nest has been active since the turn of the millennium (2000), and this is the ninth year of nesting for this rather “famous” pair. This is the nest easily viewed during our monthly Eagle Watches. The next Eagle Watch, which will be held 10 a.m. to noon March 10, is sure to allow a peek at this white head in the nest. We may be fortunate enough to catch her mate bringing her some breakfast or even taking his turn on an as yet unknown number of eggs. Please meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area off Route 372 on the York County side of the Norman Wood Bridge.
	06/21/2006 Report No. 8 On Wednesday afternoon (6/21), the first day of summer, I thought I’d better try for another picture before the first fledging takes place, which should occur within the next two weeks. Also the weather was not too hot and humid, as predicted for the rest of the week. Even at that, the "three stooges" were lined up on the upriver side of the nest, trying to stay in the shade of one of the girders of the tower. That’s what makes it such a bad picture — strong backlight and shaded subjects. A close look will show that all three birds have their nictitating membranes closed over their eyes — they were dozing! Once in awhile the oldest, on the left, moved back and exercised her wings, but then returned to the shade to nap again. This picture had to be taken from the north side of the nest, since that is the way all three were facing. No adult eagles were seen during this visit. Even though the eagle nest presented good news, I can’t say the same for the osprey nests. The Piney Island nest, which just last week showed two chicks, today held only one. The female parent was sitting beside it while the male parent was feeding it. I could see nothing in the York County nest, though the female was on the opposite end of its tower, so I drove over to Face Rock and scoped both nests at highest power. That nest held nothing that I could see, and again, only one chick in the Piney Island nest. I'll draw no conclusions until after the next check.
	05/26/2006 Report No. 7 The weather has been uncooperative for getting good photos of the nestlings. It’s been almost a month since the last report, at which time the chicks had mostly gray down feathers. On May 26, between threats of a thunderstorm, and under cloudy and hazy conditions, I was able to get some photos showing all three chicks. The oldest, on the left, is showing well-developed flight feathers, and had been exercising its wings. During this photo session, the male parent was perched on the very top of the nest tower. Mom was probably out getting some food, taking a bath, or just exercising. It was very quiet by the river today: no water was roaring over the dam and the threat of thunderstorms kept the traffic very low. Tree frogs were singing, however, as well as Baltimore and orchard orioles, indigo buntings, chats and yes, cerulean warblers. No activity was seen on either osprey nest; one adult on each, but no chicks visible. One osprey was spotted still carrying sticks in its talons. All the nesting raptors appear to be doing pretty well; it’s been a good spring for raising "younguns" so far. The next eagle watch, Saturday, June 10, will hopefully show a little more activity than I witnessed on May 26. To participate in the 10 a.m. eagle watch, meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area off Route 372 on the York County side of the Norman Wood Bridge. Bring binoculars and dress for outdoor weather.
	04/29/2006 Report No. 6 My last report indicated at least two nestlings in the Holtwood Dam nest and one for sure in the Norman Wood Bridge nest. On April 29, after a rather long respite while I was birding in the Dry Tortugas, I was pleasantly surprised to find two nestlings in the Norman Wood Bridge nest, already standing tall and sporting some black feathers. As I climbed the hill to get a photo, I met someone coming down who showed me some pictures he had taken a few days previously of three fuzzy-gray nestlings in the Holtwood Dam transmission tower nest. My photo shows only one of these chicks, since the mother was shielding the other two from the late afternoon sun, and they are still too small to be seen from the road, due to the depth of the nest. The chick in my photo may be the oldest, and appears to be about 3-to-3½ weeks old. As I waited for Dad to possibly fly in with some food (which did not happen), I observed at least five Osprey flying about the area. One adult appeared to still be incubating on the Piney Island tower, while I could not discern any on the York County tower. The Osprey situation here still remains to be settled! The next Eagle Watch, May 13, will definitely show some nestling activity. After an unexplained decline in productivity last year, the Holtwood Preserve eagles seem to be back on track with two in one nest and three in the other, just as in 2004. To join the Eagle Watch, meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area off Route 372 on the York County side of the Norman Wood Bridge at 10 a.m. Bring binoculars and dress for outdoor weather.
	04/13/2006 Report No. 5 The April 8th Eagle Watch was rained out, but at that time both eagle nests were holding adults sitting very high, even as it rained on them. This led me to suspect that one or more tiny hatchlings were nestled under them. On April 13, I decided to try for a little more information, especially since I will be out of state until the 25th. It was very warm and sunny, so I waited until late afternoon, figuring if there were any chicks in the nest, Mom would be off of them and might even be feeding them. I was not disappointed! The Norman Wood Bridge nest showed both parents on the nest, with one feeding a visible chick. There may be more, but I had to scope across the river to see this nest, and I can not verify any more. The Holtwood Dam nest showed Mom standing up, then bending down frequently as if tearing off some food. I climbed the hill to the outcrop on the Mason-Dixon trail and scoped the nest. Indeed, as the picture shows, the female eagle was tearing off food from the position shown, then moving her beak a little to the left, at which time a little motion was detected behind the sticks. She then moved her head about 60 degrees to the right and repeated her feeding behavior, which makes me believe there are at least two hatchlings, about a week to 10 days behind the chick(s) in the Norman Wood Bridge nest. I was also pleased to see that both osprey nests now have what appears to be a female on eggs. Each had an adult lying low, horizontally in the nest center, while the other adult was perched right outside the nest, being very attentive! Next month’s Eagle Watch, which will be held May 13, should finally show some nestling activity. Meet at 10:00 a.m. in the Lock 12 lower parking lot with binoculars. Spring migration will be at its peak then, so maybe we'll get glimpses of warblers and orioles as well.
	03/25/2006 Report No. 4 As predicted in my last report, on the March 18 Eagle Watch about 25 participants had a chance to see both female eagles on their nests, incubating an unknown number of eggs. However, there wasn’t much activity, such as a "change of shift" with the males, during the watch. As of today, March 25, however, I am happy to report that both Osprey pairs have returned and have begun nest-building. The amazing photo accompanying this report was taken by a local young lady, Theresa Sampson, who is a photography student at the Cecil County Community College in Maryland. She should get an A+ for this shot! It shows the male eagle from this nest carrying a fully grown gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum. This fish, a member of the herring family, makes up about 80 percent of the diet for these eagles, since it is so abundant in the pools below the dam. Accidentally introduced into the Susquehanna River some time ago and a bottom filter-feeder, the gizzard shad remains year round, as it is the only member of its family that is non-migratory. Fast growing, it can reach a size of 20 inches, and is easily identified by the long, filamentous extension of the last spine of the dorsal fin, which can be readily seen in this fabulous photograph. The eagle is carrying this fish to a sturdy perch in a tree near the nest tower, and will eventually — after starting to dine on it first — carry it to the nest for his mate to eat, while he takes a turn on the eggs. The next Eagle Watch will be held Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. Meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area off Route 372 on the York County side. Bring binoculars and dress for outdoor weather. We just might observe some feeding behavior in one — or even both — of the nests.
	03/13/2006 Report No. 3 It's been awhile since the last report, way back in February. That one may have been a bit premature. The Feb. 11 Eagle Watch showed the 40 participants no eagles at all. Since then, monitoring of the nest has found that incubation actually began after March 1. Previous indications were what is called "false incubation," where the eagle is actually lying down in the nest, but no eggs have yet been lain. Today (March 13), as the photo shows, the female Bald Eagle was lying low, still and alert, once in awhile bending her head down to arrange some nest lining, or grab a bite of food which the male has supplied. The male, while I was taking this photo, was down on the river taking a bath! He then flew up and perched in a tree, within easy sight of the nest, to dry off. Compare this photo with the last one and you can easily see that the nest edges have been enhanced and fortified with many more pretty large sticks. Adding to the nest will continue, with diminishing frequency, until the first egg hatches. For the next 25 to 30 days, this is the most we can see: one eagle parent-to-be showing just the top of his or her head, rising once in awhile to turn the eggs, or to exchange duties. These are the activities guaranteed to be seen on the next eagle watch March 18. Today the temperature reached 76 degrees, the water in the canal beneath the nest was noisy and alive with spring peepers and green frogs, and the Piney Island pair of osprey were seen perched on their nest tower, which for the first time since monitoring began, held no remains of previous years' nests. Winter winds removed every stick, so the osprey pair must build from scratch this year. It's good they returned this early in the season to accomplish that tedious chore. Another added attraction for the next eagle watch! The next Eagle Watch will be held Saturday, March 18, at 10 a.m. Meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area off Route 372 on the York County side. Bring binoculars and dress for outdoor weather.
	02/23/2006 Report No. 2 No eagles were seen in either nest during our first Eagle Watch, which was held Feb. 11. Since then, others have said possible incubation was occurring. Today (2/23), about 3:30 p.m., I made a check. Scoping the Lancaster County nest from the Lock 12 parking lot across the river, I found one adult eagle in the nest, showing only her head, and definitely in the egg laying/incubation position. The tower nest along McCall’s Ferry Road in York County held one male adult, standing towards one edge of the nest and just looking around, as if his mate was somewhere nearby. If she was beside him in the nest lying down, I probably could not have seen her, since their nest this year is again enlarged and deepened. Tomorrow (2/24) I must climb the Mason-Dixon trail to an observation point that is above the level of the nest, but I sort of doubt that this nest is under incubation as yet. The Susquehanna River was fairly low, with no water flowing over the main dam. Ring-billed and Herring Gulls were on the rocks below the dam. Black Vultures were roosting on the dam itself and all over the towers beside the tail race. A nice surprise was a handsome adult Peregrine Falcon perched on the tower on Piney Island where the Osprey always build their nest. I was able to follow it in the scope as it flew from one tower to the next. No wonder I didn't see the usual Rock Pigeons around the dam! On my return trip home, an immense flock of Icterids flew over Drytown Road. For the past few days thousands have been flocking in the fields along this road. I found it interesting that one field held a majority of Redwings and a minority of Cowbirds. The next field down was just the reverse. I could not stop to scope the flock, but there must have been some Rusties in that vast number – maybe even a Yellow-headed. About a total of one acre of field space was solid black. The next Eagle Watch will be held Saturday, March 18, at 10 a.m. Meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area off Route 372 on the York County side. Bring binoculars and dress for outdoor weather.
	02/16/2006 Report No. 1 This is the first report for 2006 on the nesting of the American Bald Eagles here at the Holtwood Environmental Preserve. It was about 9:30 a.m. Jan. 27, after about a week of no activity, that nesting activity was observed. Our eagles were seen perched side-by-side, then the male offered a freshly caught fish to his mate on the nest tower. Subsequent "aerodynamics" and a return to the nest followed, with very obvious nest-building activities ensuing. The male was seen delivering a large branch, which the female wove neatly into the nest's edge. The pair of adults looks great. It seems, unlike your reporter, that they never age! This is the eighth year for this pair to be nesting here, after having produced 17 young since 1999. The accompanying photo shows the female in the nest, awaiting more structural material from her mate. She has been up and down, back and forth, to and fro sculpting this year's "nursery." Nests to our south, in Maryland and Virginia, have eggs. Here in the lower Susquehanna Valley, we seem to be right on schedule. Join us to learn more about this distinctly American bird species at an Eagle Watch Saturday, March 18, at 10 a.m. Meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area off Route 372 on the York County side. Bring binoculars and dress for outdoor weather.