By Jim Smith, PPL consulting naturalist
Posted on Feb. 11, 2005

Greetings from Holtwood Environmental Preserve. This is the first in a series of progress reports on the bald eagles that have made their home not far from PPL’s Holtwood hydroelectric dam.

Last year, Holtwood was home to two nests of bald eagles. One nest was located on the York County shore, the other on the Lancaster County side. The York County nest, in a PPL electrical transmission tower near the Lock 12 Historic Area along McCall’s Ferry Road, has seen activity the last few weeks, and it is this one which will be featured in these weekly reports.

This afternoon, Feb. 11, I climbed the trail to look down into the Lock 12 nest in the tower. It is very nicely lined and ready for eggs. The male flew in and stayed, looking out over the river. He then busily started rearranging sticks in the nest (see photo). Soon the female flew in from downriver and perched on the top rung of the tower, just above the nest. The male then left the nest, flew down river, circled the tower twice and then perched beside the female. After the birds mated, the male flew down river and perched in some trees on the other side. The female remained, and was still there when I left at about 2:30 p.m.

Both nests should be active again this year. This will be the sixth year this pair has nested here, and they have so far produced 16 offspring!

The nearby osprey nests, however, have both disappeared — not due to eagle confiscation, however, but due to harsh winter winds. 
 
The first eagle watch for this season is 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19. If you plan on attending, dress warmly, bring binoculars and be prepared to be outside for an hour or more. Meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area, just west of the Norman Wood Bridge on Route 372 on the York County shore of the Susquehanna River. Hopefully we will see more nest-building activity or maybe even egg laying.  According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists, the bald eagle is back in full force!

If you visit on your own, park in the parking lot of the Lock 12 Historic Area. From there, it is a 20-minute walk along McCall’s Ferry Road to the nesting site. You also may park in a small parking lot along the road about 300 feet south of the nesting site. It’s located near the large "river warning" sign. PPL asks all visitors to respect the nest and obey the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s "Do Not Enter" signs.

COMING EVENTS: On Saturday, March 26, a birding program will focus on migrating birds, with perhaps a peek at the eagles in the river valley below the Holtwood Dam. Meet at the Holtwood Environmental Center. We’ll then drive to Face Rock Overlook. Bring binoculars and a birding guide if you have one.