We will continue to accept photos for the Eagle Gallery, and we'll keep the Gallery updated until the Eagle Cam is turned off for the season, which will probably occur sometime in the next month. So feel free to send in any interesting photos that you see, and we'll announce gallery updates on the cam page.

Earlier we had mentioned that the Maryland eaglets that went to Vermont were getting ready to fledge. It looks like the folks with the Vermont Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative have opened the bars to one hacking box today, and have kept one box closed. You can watch the fledgling eaglets on the Vermont website.

Also, a cam watcher sent me a link to an excellent website for the history-making bald eagle nest on Santa Cruz Island in California. This nest has the first eaglet born in the northern Channel Islands in over fifty years. The reason for the eagles' absence was due to the impact of the pesticide DDT, which was dumped in large quantities off the California coast several decades ago. According to the site, on June 7, the chick will be banded and outfitted with a transmitter. You can watch the Eagle Cam on their website.

And finally, I wanted to mention an interesting Eagle Cam run by the BioDiversity Research Institute. I hadn't publicized this site before because they are getting swamped with visitors, and it is forcing them to limit viewer time. They mention on the website that they are incurring huge streaming video costs.

For those who have asked why the Friends of Blackwater do not offer streaming live video, this is one of the reasons why. We would love to offer streaming live video of both the ospreys and eagles, but based on our number of viewers, the cost would be enormous and more than we could afford since we are a small nonprofit organization.

Many of our viewers like to leave our web cams on all day. If we had streaming live video, we would have to do what BioDiversity does and limit viewing time or even limit the amount of people that can be watching at any given time. We also have many students and teachers who tune in from school, and we wouldn't want to keep them out because of traffic limits.

So for now, our web cams will continue to offer still images, although I plan to offer more video clips like we just did with the ospreys. When our eagles return in December or January, I will make an effort to record video clips of their nest activity so that we can share moving images with our cam watchers.

If you have enjoyed the Eagle Cam, the Eagle Gallery, and the Eagle Cam Web Log, you can pay a visit to our Support page to learn how you can help in our continuing efforts to educate and entertain with our raptor cams.

And finally, I want to thank all our eagle viewers who have been so loyal and contributed so much to our enjoyment of the 2005-2006 season. We were thrilled that our eagle parents produced two healthy, impressive eaglets -- Nause and Waiwash -- and we were just as thrilled with the many viewers who gave us their time and enthusiasm as we shared our eagle family with the Internet world. We hope to see you again in December.

As a final thank you, I'm offering a pair of wallpaper images from our good friend Woody Dawson. Woody is a fantastic photographer, and has been gracious enough to share his impressive eagle shots with us. Much thanks to Woody for these photos, both of which were taken in Alaska. To make a photo your desktop wallpaper, just follow the instructions below, and enjoy!

For PC: Click on the link for your resolution. When the image finishes loading, right-click on it and choose "Set As Wallpaper" or "Set As Background" from the pop-up menu.

For MAC (OS X): Click on the link for your resolution. When the image finishes loading, drag the image onto your desktop, then open System Preferences and click "Desktop". Drag the image from your desktop to the "Current Desktop Picture" sample screen.

Until next season!
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

Speaking of the camera reception, it has cleared up a bit on its own recently. We had an engineer out to look at our reception problem late last week, but the engineer was stumped as to what was wrong. Right now we believe it might be a problem in the power line that runs near the nest. If there is a cracked insulator, loose wire, loose hardware etc. at the power line, it could be emitting intermittent noise that is interfering with our reception. We're currently investigating the power line theory.

When our cam did clear up, we got some nice images of both eaglets and probably the mother eagle at the nest. It was clear from the shots that the parents are still providing food to the eaglets. This is normal, as it will take awhile for the eaglets to get proficient at catching their own meals. We're happy to see that both eaglets appear to be healthy.

And just a couple extra cam notes: The Fort St. Vrain Eagle Cam in Colorado has three eaglets that are about to fledge. You can see the cam here. And here you can see photos of the eaglets when they were on the ground getting banded.

And also be sure to check out the impressive Eagle Eye Cam from Canada that has been capturing headlines with its wonderful video and audio presentation.

Also, I wanted to pass along some miscellaneous eagle news:

First, the sad news. Doug Bentlage from Alton, Illinois, wrote to say that they found out what happened to the eaglet that died in their local nest. As our cam watchers may remember, I had been publishing photos of their eaglet in this web log, and the last we heard was that the eight-week-old eaglet had suddenly been found dead at the bottom of the nest tree about two weeks ago.

The local photographers have just found out that a raccoon climbed into the nest and killed the eaglet. The raccoon got into the nest and killed the chick quickly, then an eagle parent came back and attacked the raccoon, and then grabbed the eaglet -- which was already dead -- and dropped it as it tried to leave the nest. The raccoon went over the front of the nest and then down to the ground. One photographer, named Tim Berkley, happened to be on the scene when it happened, but could only grab a quick shot in the fading light. Photographer Wade Dowdy (from Aesthetic Photos) worked on the photograph to make it clearer, and you can see the photo here. The raccoon is fleeing and the parent is flying away with the dead eaglet under its body. This was a very popular nest in Illinois, and many people were saddened by the loss of the eaglet, but at least we now know what happened.

One other piece of sad news: As we had mentioned a little while back, officials in Vermont -- which had been the only state without a breeding pair of bald eagles -- had discovered an eagles' nest with one chick near the Connecticut River. We now hear that the chick has died. A wildlife biologist discovered that the chick was gone, and they found evidence at the base of the tree that a raccoon had been feeding on a dead eaglet, although they're not sure if the raccoon killed the eaglet or if it was just feeding on the carcass. Local officials are hopeful that the eagle couple will return next year and try again. You can read more on the Vermont Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative website.

Just an FYI: Raccoons are a threat not only to eagle nests but also to osprey nests. That's why our Blackwater Osprey Cam platform is so high in the air -- so the ospreys will feel safe from land predators like raccoons. If you are building an osprey platform on land, it is very important to put a predator guard on it to reduce the chance that a raccoon can climb up and get to the eggs or chicks.

And now for the good news: For those who did not see my post on the cam page last week, George and Martha (the Woodrow Wilson Bridge eagles) have been reunited. Martha was attacked by a female eagle at her home nest in Maryland and had to be rehabilitated due to her very serious wounds. She was released in Delaware, and now the couple is together again at their nest in Maryland. TriState Bird Rescue was responsible for saving Martha. Visit their site for more information on Martha's release.

Also, we had another interesting local story about two young eaglets in Virginia that were saved after their tree and nest were blown down by a storm. You can read the article and see their photo on the Washington Post website.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

On Sunday evening, we could tell something was different at the eagle nest because the youngest kept appearing and disappearing, in and out of our cam image, often showing up with his wings spread. At one point, Waiwash was gone for a while, so we gathered the eaglet had become a fledgling.

Since that time, we've seen both chicks together in the nest, and we've also seen the mother feeding both eaglets, so it looks like the family is doing fine at this point and there have been no flying accidents.

As for our bad reception problem on the camera, we're now seeking professional advice as to what the problem might be. We tried several additional fixes on the ground, but they did not help, as this is turning out to be a mighty stubborn problem. Fortunately it came at the end of the eagle season and it is not affecting the osprey camera.

I also have an announcement for the local Marylanders who read our web log: On April 26, a badly injured bald eagle was found at Church Creek (a small town near Blackwater Refuge). The eagle had been shot and had a broken wing. The veterinarians at TriState Bird Rescue and Research in Newark, Delaware, determined it was a five-year-old female. The eagle's injuries were so severe, the veterinarians had to euthanize it. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward of as much as $2,500 under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act for information leading to the conviction of the individual or individuals involved. If you have any information that might be helpful in tracking down the responsible parties, please contact Kim Speckman at 410-962-7980, extension 224. Kim is the FWS resident agent-in-charge of the Service's Baltimore office.

On a happier note, I wanted to share an entertaining story submitted by Elizabeth Gordon and her husband, Norm, regarding a recent visit they made to Blackwater Refuge. Elizabeth reports that during their visit, they were watching a Great blue heron that was hunting for fish. The heron made a catch and then brought the meal back to land. Suddenly an eagle appeared overhead and began eyeing the heron's catch. Knowing that it was "out gunned," the heron abandoned its food. The eagle landed, found the fish, and quickly flew away with the heron's catch. A few moments later, the heron began fishing again a few yards from the first hunting location.

Here is a photo that Elizabeth took of the eagle maneuvering over the heron before it lost its meal. Also if you've never seen a Great blue heron, here is a photo that Norm took of one while they were at Blackwater. Great blue heron's are the largest herons in North America, but there have been reports of bald eagles making a meal out of the birds, so the heron was wise to give up the fish without a fight.

Thanks to Elizabeth and Norm for sharing their story and their photographs. And also thanks to those who have been sending in images from the Eagle Cam. We'll update the Eagle Gallery later this week.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

Jerry told me this morning that the eaglet has perished. Nest watchers found it at the bottom of the nest tree. They're not sure what happened at this point, but the 8-week-old eaglet was getting big, so there's a possibility it was flapping and was blown out prematurely. Or possibly it just fell out while leaning or standing on the edge. Jerry said they've been having strong winds lately. This was very sad news for us here, as we felt like we knew the eaglet through Jerry's amazing photos.

Unfortunately, this drives home the lesson that it's a dangerous world out there, and many eaglets perish before they can become white-headed, breeding adults. This also makes us appreciate the success we've enjoyed at our Eagle Cam, where we've had two seasons without any deaths. We're very fortunate in that regard.

Below is a final photo of the eaglet (click on the thumbnail). You can find more fantastic photos at Jerry's online gallery, and also at the online gallery of Doug Bentlage, a friend of Jerry's and another talented photographer who was also following the same eagle family. Thanks to both of them for offering this lasting record of the eaglet's brief life.

As for our eaglets, it appeared that Monday night one of the eaglets -- probably the oldest, Nause -- fledged from the nest. Throughout the day on both Tuesday and Wednesday, the eaglet was in and out a lot, occasionally returning to the nest where Waiwash was waiting. During this time we also saw an eagle parent (probably the mother) feeding them both.

We congratulate Nause on this momentous occasion! Many eaglets do not survive their first flight for various reasons, so we were very happy to see the eaglet return successfully after the outing on Monday. Nause is now a fledgling, and we believe that very soon Waiwash will be one, too.

Cam watchers have asked what Nause might be doing while out of the nest for long periods. Although the eaglets instinctively know how to fly and even fish, these are skills that must be developed and fine tuned. Many eaglets die their first winter because they are not proficient at hunting and fishing for themselves. So between now and the coming winter, the eaglets will spend much of their time learning to scavenge dead food, learning to capture live food, learning to read and master the wind, learning to land safely, and learning how to interact with other creatures in their world.

So even though Nause is flying, the eaglet is still very dependent on the parents for food, and will continue getting meals from them for possibly another six weeks -- both on and off the nest.

Another cam watcher asked if the eaglets that went to Vermont can learn to fly and fish without parents around to show them. Last year, Craig Koppie -- our raptor biologist -- said that yes, the eaglets can learn all these things even without the parents. While our eaglets here will likely spend time watching the parents -- and also their sibling -- and observing how they fly and fish, it is not absolutely necessary to have an adult around for the eaglet to learn and master these necessary skills. The birds' built-in instincts will help them on their way. As for food, the folks in Vermont will leave food out for the fledgling eaglets until they can provide for themselves.

So as our eaglets begin exploring their world, where exactly are they going? Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a very beautiful and bountiful place for a young eagle to explore. At this time of year, there are many other eagles and ospreys about, so the young birds will get their first taste of interacting with other raptors.

The Blackwater River is the main body of water within the Refuge, and the eaglets will spend a good deal of time perching near it and fishing in it over the upcoming months. What makes Blackwater Refuge a popular place for eagles (and ospreys) is that the local waters are very shallow, and since both eagles and ospreys get their fish near the surface, the waters offer a habitat that suits their fishing styles. Also the Refuge has plenty of safe nesting areas and a healthy food population. Below are four photos that give you an idea as to where our eagles like to hang out. Click on the thumbnails.

In the first shot, two adult eagles are perched over the Blackwater River and its marshes; the nearest tree is one that the eagles frequently choose for perching when near the Wildlife Drive. In the second photo, an adult eagle is perched on an empty osprey water platform. In the third shot, a perched eagle in the distance overlooks a fall scene where migrating geese fill the marshes. And in the final shot, the sun sets over a group of trees where immature bald eagles like to hang out together and watch for an easy meal in the river below.

Many of the adult eagles at Blackwater Refuge do not migrate because when winter comes and the fish are hard to find, the eagles can turn to eating small mammals and waterfowl. But many of the immature eagles will eventually leave the area once they become independent, as young eagles like to roam for several years before they reach breeding age. Once they are ready to start their own families, they will likely return to this area and begin looking for a nesting tree and a mate.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

This afternoon, we had several episodes where it looked like one of the eaglets was branching -- or sitting out of the nest and in the branches of the tree. This would be a lead-up to flying. We'll keep watching to see if we can see definite flight in the upcoming week. Also, we'll update the Gallery early this week.

On a different topic: A cam watcher alerted me to the fact that the Washington Post has put up a video of Martha (the injured eagle from Maryland), showing her capture and release. I don't know how long the video will be up, but here is the link.

Vermont Eaglets

Those folks who watched our Eagle Cam in 2005 remember that last year we had a three-eaglet nest, and because of our bountiful nest, we were treated to a special adventure. Craig Koppie -- an endangered species specialist from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- came to the nest and removed our middle eaglet (a female). Craig removed several eaglets from other nests at Blackwater as well, and took them all to Vermont, where they took part in the Vermont Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative -- a three-year project that hopes to reestablish nesting bald eagles in the only U.S. state without them.

Last year we were fortunate enough to be able to watch Craig on the camera as he entered the nest to retrieve the chick. (You can see the Gallery shots here.) Once the eaglets were in Vermont, we were able to watch them on the Vermont Eagle Cam as the birds sat in the hacking tower until they were ready to fledge. (A hacking tower is where transplanted birds wait until they can fledge). We then saw the eaglets become independent, and they eventually dispersed to various parts of the Northeast.

Several cam watchers have asked if we know what happened to our Eagle Cam female. We do not know at this time as no one has reported seeing a bird with her band numbers. We do know that two of last year's eaglets were found dead at a later time. This is not uncommon as many eaglets do not make it past their first birthday. One Vermont fledgling was hit by a train in New York while scavenging for food, and the other was found in a nearby field where it apparently died of a severe bacterial infection in its trachea. We were recently told that neither fledgling came from Blackwater.

This year is the last year of the Vermont Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative project, so last week Craig Koppie once again came to Blackwater Refuge to visit some of our eagle nests, looking for eaglet recruits. Melanie Lynch, of Chesapeake Bay magazine, is a good friend of ours and was kind enough to share some photos she took while covering the event for her magazine. These photos show Craig visiting a nest at Blackwater Refuge and then a nest on private property. All the nests Craig visited had eaglets that were not yet fledglings. Click on the thumbnails, and note that I left some of the photos large so you can see the details.

In the first shot, we see Craig with all his tree-climbing gear and his pick-up truck filled with crates for holding the eaglets. Craig is a master falconer, long-time raptor biologist, and licensed bird bander. In the next shot, Craig starts his way up a loblolly pine tree (about 60% of the eagle nests in the Chesapeake Bay area are in loblolly pines). In the third shot, Craig is under the nest (eagle nests can be around 60-100 feet off the ground), and in the fourth shot, we see Craig climbing over the edge so he can get access to the eaglets. At this point, the mother eagle is flying nearby and calling out but not bothering Craig.

In the next set, the first shot shows Craig holding up his new best friend, which he's wrapped in a towel so the eaglet doesn't hurt itself. Normally Craig talks to the eaglets a bit to calm them when he first enters their nest, but once he starts handling them, the birds are normally docile. In the second shot, the bird is lowered down inside a gym bag to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assistants on the ground (a couple of the USFWS people are from the New England office which oversees the Vermont project). In the third shot we see the two siblings on the ground, getting their first real look at these strange human creatures. And in the fourth shot we see the eaglets getting banded. Each eaglet gets a color band (so the eaglet can be identified with binoculars) and also a standard silver USFWS band with a unique ID number and the phone number of the Bird Banding Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland (where North American banding records are kept).

In this final set of photos, the first shot shows Craig working his way up the next tree, which is on private property near the shore. Next we see one eaglet getting banded, and then in the third shot we see the two bands up close. Craig says the bands do not get hot in the sun, and are not uncomfortable for the eaglets to wear. Next we see a close-up of the handsome chick, and in the following shot the chick shows off his transparent third eyelid -- or nictitating membrane -- which he frequently uses to moisten and clean his eyes. And finally we have a parting shot of our beautiful eaglet.

If you'd like to read more about the day's events, the Vermont Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative website recently posted an eaglet diary. Also the event was covered by a local news outlet here in Maryland.

And remember that you can now see these same eaglets in the hacking tower on the Vermont Eagle Cam. When the eaglets are ready, the bars will be lowered and the eaglets will be allowed to fledge with the hope that they will one day return to Vermont to breed.

Final side note: Just recently it was discovered that a breeding pair of eagles have produced a chick in Vermont. You can read the story here. This is promising news for the folks who have been working hard to reestablish bald eagles there.

And if you'd like to see a tree climber in action, the Colorado Division of Wildlife recently banded their eaglets as well, and there is an online video showing the climber at work.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

On another eagle topic, I wanted to give an update on Martha -- the female bald eagle that was injured at her nest near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Maryland. Fortunately, she was released in Delaware on Saturday. You can see a photo of Martha and read about her release on the TriState Bird Rescue website. Much thanks to TriState for their great work in saving Martha from her serious injuries.

And I also wanted to post the latest photos from Jerry McKenna, our eagle photographer friend from Illinois, who is watching a one-chick eagle nest in his home state. The first photo shows the rapidly growing eaglet admiring the flying skills of the adult. The second photo shows the remains of a turtle appetizer that the family enjoyed. The third photo shows how big the eaglet has become. And the fourth photo shows the cute eaglet being bothered by a pesky bee. Much thanks to Jerry for his amazing photography.

May 11, 2006 --
Endangered Species Day:

The U.S. Senate recently designated May 11, 2006, “Endangered Species Day." This is America’s first national celebration of its commitment to protecting endangered species.

The reason this event was needed is because certain politicians in Congress are attempting to severely weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and eliminate provisions that protect critical wildlife habitat. So Senators created this day to raise awareness about the success of the ESA and the need to protect species in our rapidly developing world.

For three decades, the Endangered Species Act has kept 99% of listed species from going extinct, but of all the species saved by the ESA, perhaps none is as famous or as beloved as the American bald eagle. In fact, the bald eagle has recovered so well that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is now proposing that the bald eagle no longer be protected by the ESA, and they are taking public comments on this proposal until May 17, 2006. So I wanted to talk a little about what delisting means for our precious bald eagles.

How the Eagles Got into Trouble:

Bald eagles started to decline in the late 1800s mainly due to shooting, prey destruction, and habitat destruction. Then in the late 1940s, the pesticide DDT was sprayed extensively along coastal and other wetland areas to control mosquitoes. Unfortunately, DDT contaminated the fish that the eagles ate, and soon the pesticide accumulated in the eagles' fatty tissues and began to inhibit calcium production. This in turn led to thin eggshells that broke when the eagle parents sat on them. In 1972, DDT was banned from use in the U.S., but by then eagle populations were in serious trouble. So in 1978, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the bald eagle as "endangered" (under the Endangered Species Act) in 43 of the contiguous states, and "threatened" in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington. (The bald eagle has never been endangered or threatened in Alaska and has never lived in Hawaii.)

How the Eagles Recovered:

The habitat protection provided by the Endangered Species Act, combined with the banning of DDT, helped bald eagles on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, DDT's dissipation from the food chain was very slow, so the recovery was not immediate, but over time -- with the help of the USFWS, environmental groups, local governments, corporations, universities, tribes, and concerned individuals -- the eagles made enough of a recovery that in 1995, the bald eagle was reclassified as "threatened" in the remaining 43 states where it had been "endangered."

Today, the USFWS reports that the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states has increased from 417 nesting pairs in 1963 to an estimated 7,066 nesting pairs in 2005. The USFWS is now declaring the bald eagle "recovered."

A Delisted Bald Eagle:

So now the big question is: Can the bald eagle prosper without the ESA's protection? The strength of the ESA -- and what makes it different from other wildlife laws -- is that it protects critical habitat for endangered and threatened wildlife, because without a safe home, a species cannot survive.

Bald eagles are generally known to be very sensitive to human disturbance, and sometimes will abandon nests and eggs if spooked by humans. The ESA helped the eagle by protecting it from disturbance on shoreline and waterfront habitats where eagles need to live, but where humans like to play, develop, and log.

If the eagle is delisted, protection of the bald eagle will fall to two laws that are currently on the books: The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). Both acts protect bald eagles by prohibiting killing, selling or otherwise harming eagles, their nests, and eggs.

However, a controversy has arisen because some experts and environmental groups do not believe that these two laws will be enough to protect eagle habitat because habitat protection is not the goal of either law. In response to this concern, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has now published voluntary National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines, which are intended to provide information to people who engage in recreation or land use activities that might impact eagles.

In addition, the USFWS is also proposing a regulation to clarify the term "disturb" as it relates to eagles under the BGEPA. Now "disturb" will be defined as actions that disrupt the breeding, feeding, or sheltering practices of an eagle, causing injury, death or nest abandonment. Although the USFWS has accepted this definition of "disturb" for some time, now the Service will officially codify it.

If delisting occurs, the USFWS will continue to work with state wildlife agencies to monitor the status of the bald eagle for a minimum of five years after its delisting, as is required by the Endangered Species Act. However, this monitoring can become more difficult in tight fiscal times like we have now.

The USFWS has stated that if monitoring shows that the bald eagle is faltering in its recovery, they can begin the process of putting it back on the endangered and threatened species list, but that could take time.

States that list the bald eagle as endangered or threatened within their own boundaries can continue to do so after the delisting; however, experts predict that once the bald eagle is delisted at the federal level, many state governments will follow suit at the local level and remove it from their own lists.

On the positive side, eagle behavior has been slowly changing as the raptors spend more time near humans. Now we are seeing more eagles that are willing to nest near humans and even in human-made structures. But not all eagles are this comfortable around people, and birds in more pristine areas are likely to remain highly sensitive to encroachment.

What You Can Do:

Until May 17, 2006, the USFWS is taking public comments on three items: The delisting of the bald eagle, the proposed National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines, and the proposed definition of the term "disturb." The Service wants and needs the input of all American citizens who have an opinion or who have information about bald eagles that will help the Service make the right choices in their actions.

On the USFWS Eagle Delisting web page you can find more information about the delisting proposal, the management guidelines, and the "disturb" action. You can also find out how to send your comments via email.

The fact that we have reached a point where the bald eagle can even be considered for delisting is a true testament to the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act and its ability to protect precious wildlife and their habitat. But we must be sure that we are removing the bald eagle for the right reasons, and we must be sure we will have a system in place to continue protecting the birds even after they are out of the jurisdiction of the Endangered Species Act.

America's national symbol deserves no less.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

Speaking of Blackwater Refuge eaglets, one of our cam watchers -- Woody Dawson -- sent me a photo he just took from our Wildlife Drive showing a nest that has three bald eaglets in it. In this great close-up, you can see two of the eaglets and the mother. The third eaglet was farther back in the nest.

Flight Mechanics

Now that flight is imminent for our eaglets, it's a good time to talk about how eagles fly.

A full-grown eagle has over 7000 feathers on its body and has a wingspan of 6-7 feet (upwards of 8 feet on the larger female). The eagle's large wingspan means it must use a great deal of energy to flap its wings. Consequently, bald eagles don't do that much flapping, but instead spend a great deal of their time soaring, which requires about a 20th the power needed for flapping.

Eagles soar or glide when they migrate, and also when they hunt and fish. Using thermals and updrafts, an eagle can soar continuously for hours while using little energy.

Eagles can fly to an altitude of about 10,000 feet, and during normal level flight, reach a speed of 30-35 mph.

Like all birds, eagles have very light bones; in fact most of their bones are hollow and contain only air. If you added up the total weight of their bones, it would be about half the total weight of their feathers.

Eagles have several types of feathers to aid them in flight, including the primary and secondary wing feathers, tail feathers, and coverts.

The ten outer primary feathers are on the end of the wing; these feathers are stiff and narrow because they meet the air first and must provide wind resistance. These outer primaries are also notched and they can open like fingers, which can help a flying eagle to achieve lift and drag.

The inner primaries and secondary feathers are flatter and will overlap to provide a smooth lifting surface.

Body, plume and downy feathers are needed for body covering, streamlining, waterproofing, and temperature regulation. This graphic shows you individual samples of several different types of feathers for both the adult and immature bald eagle.

When an eagle wants to move fast, it can turn the front edge of its wings into the wind and cut through the air. If it wants to slow down or stop, it can spread its wings and drag them through the air to create a "braking" effect.

When eagles flap their wings, the power comes from the downstroke. If you remember, we mentioned in a previous log that when the eaglets are flapping around the nest and their feet get off the nest floor, the lift is created by a strong downstroke.

Woody Dawson was kind enough to loan me some of his fantastic bald eagle photos that he took in Alaska. In this series of shots, you can see how the eagle uses the downstroke to get its feet off the ground and its body into the air.

If you'd like to read more about eagle flight and eagle feathers, here are two informative articles: "Wings and Feathers" and "Bald Eagle's Quest for Flight."

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

We chose a prize winner from all the participants' email addresses, so that everyone would have a fair shot at winning, and our winner was Jess M., a soon-to-be 10-year-old from West Virginia. Jess will be celebrating a birthday on April 30, so we were very happy to be able to provide a Blackwater birthday gift. :-)

Jess recently visited Blackwater Refuge and after returning home, chose the names Chinook and Zephyr for our eaglets. Those names were very popular with many other contest participants, and they almost won.

We thank Jess and all our contest participants for helping us select the names of the eaglets. And we hope our cam watchers will stick around and help us name the osprey chicks in a couple months.

Nest Update

As our cam watchers know, at the beginning of the week we had a slight technical problem. We think we had a corroded connector, and it was interfering with the image transmission. Keeping our cam equipment operating in the field is always a challenge because of the harsh conditions -- such as the huge amount of rain we received last weekend. We're just glad that our recent problem was ground-based and was not with the eagle camera itself.

The eaglets continue to make good progress with their flapping exercises and perching practice. Several cam watchers have asked if the eaglets will take their first flight around the same time. Since Nause is the oldest, and has been ahead in development throughout the eaglets' time at the nest, we would expect Nause to fly first. Waiwash -- the youngest -- has not been perching quite as much, so it might take a little longer for the youngest to make the leap.

However, it's likely that seeing Nause fly off and leave the nest will provide strong motivation for the youngest to get out there and fly as well.

Other Eagles

A couple interesting notes about eagles besides our own: Around the Channel Islands off California, folks are very excited these days because bald eagles are finally beginning to make a comeback. From the 1940s to the 1970s, millions of pounds of DDT and PCBs were discharged from industrial sources into the ocean near Los Angeles. In 1972, Congress banned the use of DDT but not its production. Bald eagle populations then rebounded across the U.S. except in the Southern California area.

DDT is a problem for fish-eating raptors because the fish become contaminated with the pesticide, and after an eagle or osprey eats a large enough amount of fish, the pesticide accumulates in the raptor's system -- a process known as biomagnification.

Once a bald eagle or osprey has enough DDT in its system, the pesticide's breakdown product -- DDE -- begins to inhibit the production of calcium for the bird's eggshells, and the eggshells come out too thin. The end result is often an eggshell so thin that it cracks when the parents sit on it, ending the life of the chick inside.

In mid-April of this year, biologists discovered that on Santa Cruz Island (part of the Channel Islands), a pair of bald eagles hatched a chick for the first time in more than fifty years. Not long after, the biologists found a second egg on the island, so hopes are high that the eagles might be making a comeback after all this time. On the Channel Islands' eagle website, you can see video clips of one of the chicks with its parents.

Also on the Channel Islands' eagle website is an excellent photo of an eaglet about a week younger than our own eaglets. Seeing the eaglet next to a human gives our cam watchers a good perspective on how big our eaglets are now.

And on another eagle note: Jerry McKenna -- our photographer friend from Illinois -- is still following his local eagle nest where they have one young chick. Jerry recently added several funny new photos to his online gallery. I especially like the shots below; click on the thumbnails to see a larger version. And much thanks again to Jerry for sharing these spectacular photos with us:

In an upcoming log post, we'll talk about the current effort underway to remove the bald eagle from the Endangered Species List, and how you can submit your comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding this major change in the bald eagle's protection.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

Website: I wanted to repeat a message that I posted in the Osprey Cam Web Log regarding a new feature on our website. Over the past year, a number of our cam watchers had expressed an interest in making an online donation to the Friends of Blackwater using their credit cards. We have now added a PayPal donation button to our Support page for those who would like to donate electronically. We thank our supporters who help make our projects -- like the raptor cams -- possible. If you have questions about donating, be sure to also check out our Donation Policy page.

Nest Update: We updated the Gallery on Friday, and if you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to do so. We had a lot of interesting photos submitted that let us see how the eaglets are progressing in their development.

For example, we got a great look at one of the eaglet's beautiful wings, and we even saw one of the eaglet's possibly rising a bit in the air while flapping. This can happen when an eaglet is flapping so hard that its feet lift off the nest during the downstroke.

We also saw that the mother is still beak-feeding the chicks even though the young are capable of eating on their own.

We had one photo of a chick balanced nicely on a large branch in the nest, and then we saw both chicks perched together on their favorite end.

Finally we saw that when the eaglets get hungry, they don't hide their feelings but give a major shout-out to mom. We even had a glimpse of one eaglet lunging for mom when she returned with a possible meal. Eagle biologists report that when eaglets this size get really hungry, they've been known to lunge for anything -- including a parent's toe! Some say that is why you don't see dad on the nest as much at this stage. Being the smaller adult, he sometimes has a harder time dealing with the large, aggressive youngsters.

Speaking of hungry eaglets, if you visit the wildlife-themed ARKive website, you can watch a wonderful video showing young white-tailed eaglets (the closest relative to our bald eagle) grabbing mom's fish before she can even let go of it.

[Note: the video plays more smoothly if you choose the "Download" option on their site]

Also notice at the end of this video that the parent eagle is perched above the nest while the eaglets practice their flapping. Another reason why the parents might not spend a lot of time in the nest is because when the eaglets are flapping about, there isn't a lot of space in the nest for the adults.

First Flight

The eaglets will be nine weeks old this week and since many eaglets take their first flight at ten to twelve weeks, we are rapidly heading toward the big moment in their lives. As a lead-up to the flight, there will be much flapping and sitting on support branches -- and these are important exercises that strengthen the eaglets' talons and wings, and help build their confidence. Eagle biologists report that males tend to be more active in this way than the females.

At the ARKive website, they have a great video showing a young white-tailed eaglet performing these activities, and then taking a maiden flight -- which ends up with the eaglet in the water. Fortunately, eagles are good swimmers and many an eaglet has had to swim to shore after his first crash landing.

It's been estimated that one out of seven eaglets fledges prematurely by getting blown out of the nest or by jumping out before it can really fly. When that happens, it might end up on the ground where the parents will feed it until it can fly.

It's possible that parents will withhold food prior to fledging in order to encourage the youngster to take the jump. But once the eaglet makes the leap, the trick will be surviving the flight and especially the landing. Biologists report that quite a few eaglets perish on their first flight. Last year we had three eaglets, and all survived to become successful fledglings. But sometimes eaglets crash, or land badly, or end up stuck on the ground in an area where the parents are unable to feed them or protect them from land predators.

In the book The Bald Eagle: Haunts and Habits of a Wilderness Monarch (by Jon Gerrard and Gary Bortolotti) the authors recount a humorous story illustrating that landing is often the most difficult part of flight. The authors -- who were observing a bald eagle nest near Bernard Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada -- described the youngest eaglet's attempt to fly back to the home nest.

"Flapping slowly but strongly, C2 cruised past the nest, banked toward shore, and crashed into the canopy of a tree. We could hear the slapping of wings against branches all the way to the blind. When it was over, C2 was hanging upside down from a limb and holding on with just one foot. From out of nowhere the adult male flew in, calling excitedly, and soon perched on a spruce directly above his clumsy offspring. The adult female took off from the nest, circled above C2, and joined in the chorus of cackles. C2, rather calmly, just hung there, occasionally looking from side to side. After three minutes, C2 released his grasp and crashed to the ground."

The authors played the good samaritans and retrieved C2, placing him on a rock near the nest. When they returned the next day, he was perched in a smaller tree near his home nest and he sported a bulging crop, showing that the parents had recently fed him and he was fine.

The first flight is an exciting time because it marks the moment when the eaglets become part of the greater eagle community. It's a momentous occasion in their young lives, and we wish our eaglets the best of luck.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

You can read the Osprey Cam Web Log if you'd like a full explanation regarding the change in addresses. The old address will still work, but I prefer you use the new address now.

Cam Watcher Questions

I had planned to discuss "first flights" in this web log entry, but I realized I had received quite a few questions in the last week, and I should post the answers in the web log. So I'll save the discussion of flying for the nest post, and instead talk about some of the questions we've been getting.

Why do the eaglets perch so close to the edge?
While we're enjoying our wonderful new view from the Eagle Cam, several cam watchers had commented on the rather alarming way in which the eaglets have been clinging to the edge of the nest lately, sometimes out of our view.

As we get closer to fledging time, we're going to see more of this activity and also some branching, where the eaglets may sit in the branches of their home tree.

Up until recently, the eaglets have been sitting and laying in the nest almost the entire day and night, but they have to develop their talon strength and perching ability, and that is what they are practicing now. You can see in some of the shots how their talons are grasping the sticks, especially when they flap or cling to the edge. These are important exercises, since perching will be one of the most common activities for them as adult eagles. So while it makes our heart stop to see them suddenly clinging to the edge, this is normal behavior for a developing eaglet that will be leaving the nest very soon.

Here is a close-up photo showing how a pre-fledgling eaglet wraps its toes and talons around sticks to remain in place.

Will Craig Koppie still band and sex the eaglets?
I had a couple folks write in to ask if Craig Koppie -- our FWS eagle biologist -- is coming to our nest at all this season. Sadly, the answer is no. Craig really wanted to come so he could band and sex the cam chicks, but his schedule is not going to allow him to come before the eaglets fledge. There is a chance that Craig might come to Blackwater Refuge later this month or early next month to take several of our eaglets for the last year of the Vermont Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative project. But Craig will not be taking any eaglets from our cam nest -- he will likely only be taking eaglets from three-chick nests on the Refuge property.

What happened to Martha?
Another question I was asked about was the status of Martha -- the mother eagle that was violently attacked by another female eagle near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in the Washington, DC area a couple weeks ago. We hear that they have decided to hold her at TriState Bird Rescue for a little while longer to be sure she is fully recovered. Now that she no longer has chicks to rush home to, they're going to give her a little more time to heal.

Is it normal for eagles to attack other eagles?
After hearing about Martha being attacked by another female bald eagle, one cam watcher asked me if eagles violently attacking other eagles was common. To be honest, I had not heard of such a thing, but then the Washington Post ran an article this week discussing the fact that the Chesapeake Bay bald eagle population is rapidly reaching a saturation point, and this type of behavior will become more common as a growing eagle population begins to compete with rapid shoreline development.

So while the comeback of the Chesapeake Bay bald eagles is a wonderful event, it means eagles will have a harder time finding prime nesting territory that has not already been developed by humans or claimed by other eagles. Competition will increase among the resident eagle population and attacks might become more common. You can read the Washington Post article here: So Many Bald Eagles, So Little Room Left to Nest. You may need to register on their site to access it.

A contest? Nobody told me about a contest?
I want to give a final reminder that the Eaglet-Naming Contest will be ending on April 22. If you haven't already voted, please do so and help us choose names for our 2006 eaglets. You can also win an eagle prize through our random drawing after the contest ends.

By the way, the last day of the contest -- April 22 -- is Earth Day, and a wonderful time to recognize and celebrate all that the earth provides for us. You can find out more about Earth Day, as well as activities around the country and the world, at this website:

Earth Day Network

In the next web log, we'll talk about what can happen when eaglets take that first scary jump out of the nest, and how they go about surviving it.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

This was the first time that Ron had been near a nest that contained eaglets, so Craig gave him some excellent tips for calming the birds. After Ron climbed the tall loblolly pine tree, he did a great job reassuring the eaglets that everything was fine, and the eaglets were very cooperative. While Ron was at the nest, he moved our cam a bit higher so the eagles -- and especially the soon-to-be-flying eaglets -- will not hit it. He also placed it under a branch with the hope that this will keep the birds from landing on it. After he left, the mother -- which had been flying around -- returned to the nest.

Ron said that when looking at the birds, the youngest eaglet is just a bit smaller than the oldest. He also said they both look like they're the size of big roosters.

Our eaglets are now seven weeks old. To get an idea of what they would look like up close, here is a photo taken at another eagles' nest that shows a young eaglet that is close to flying age.

The only drawback of not having Craig visit our nest is that we will not get to see the eaglets banded and sexed. But otherwise everything went well this morning, and we are very thankful to Ron for making such an adventurous climb on our behalf.

In the coming weeks, we hope to see the eaglets flapping their wings more and eventually making short hop flights around the nest. Then as they get closer to flying, we would expect to see them sitting in the branches -- an activity rightly called "branching." After that, we will be on the lookout for any cam images that show one of the birds clearly gone from the nest.

First flights are not only an exciting and momentous moment, but also a potentially dangerous one. Some flapping eaglets are blown out of the nest prematurely, and some do not survive their first flight due to crashes or dangerous landings.

In the next web log, we'll talk more about the hazards and rewards of the eaglet's first flight.

We thank Ron again for his terrific job this morning. And I also want to thank all our cam watchers for their patience as we worked on our camera mount problems. We appreciate your continued loyalty to our cam and to our website. We'll update the Gallery next week.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

We hear today that George is no longer tending the nest and is starting to hang around with the intruder female. Sadly it appears the chick did not make it. Unfortunately, the chick never really caught a break in its short life with its mother being attacked and then with the horribly bad weather we had on Saturday -- with lots of rain and chilly temperatures. It would have been very hard for George to keep the chick dry and warm while also going out to retrieve food.

The good news is that Martha is recovering quickly. They hope to release her soon, although they are not sure where they will release her at this point. Releasing her in the same area might be inviting another attack, so the eagle experts will have to decide what is best for Martha. You can read more about George and the chick here, and more about Martha's recovery here.

Craig Koppie -- our eagle expert at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- has been helping with the evaluation of George, Martha, and the nest. Craig has also been busy with interviews for the news media, so we're not sure right now when he will be coming to our nest.

One cam watcher asked if we had to wait for Craig or if there was anyone else who could go up our nest tree. We could have our regular tree climber go up, but the best he could do is just move the cam. We are hoping that Craig will brace the camera so it doesn't get moved again this spring, and Craig also wants to band and possibly sex the chicks, so we'd like to give him that opportunity.

Our regular tree climber is not accustomed to encountering eaglets when he visits the nest, and Craig has been up countless raptor trees, so he is specially trained to deal with the youngsters, who are rather large now and could be quite formidable if agitated. We would really like to have Craig be the person who visits at this point.

Speaking of our chicks, the youngest has really progressed in its feather development, and seems to be almost as dark as the oldest. The chicks are seven weeks old this week, and each day they are getting stronger in their flapping and movement around the nest.

In upcoming web log posts, we'll talk more about what might be in store for our eaglets when they take their first flight into the world.

A couple reminders: We updated the Eagle Gallery yesterday -- much thanks to everyone who sent in photos. And we've started our Eaglet-Naming Contest, which is being hosted by our partner site, WildCam.com. You have to register to enter, but it's free and they won't share your email address. After the contest ends, we'll randomly select an email address from the participants, and that person will receive a special eagle gift from our Eagle's Nest Gift Store at the Refuge.

And finally, since we're a bit sad about George and Martha's eaglet not making it, I wanted to share some wonderful photos from our new photographer friend, Jerry McKenna. Jerry has been monitoring an eagle nest in Alton, Illinois, where they just had a chick hatch. Click on the thumbnails below to check out Jerry's photos showing the new chick -- which definitely puts a smile on your face. And you can see more photos of the new chick here.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

Craig did mention that if he is able to come, he would like to sex and band the chicks, if possible. So that would be an added bonus of him visiting.

Speaking of local eagle nests, a cam watcher forwarded me a link to the Norfolk Botanical Garden website in Virginia where they have still photos from their eagle cam. The eagle cam can only be seen at the gardens, but be sure to check out the amazing photos on their site. And if you're near Norfolk, check out the gardens as well, and you can see the cam live.

And a note about our Eaglet-Naming Contest: We plan to go live with the contest very soon. I'll post a link on the cam page when we're ready to start.

A Day in the Life

As those who watch our Eagle Cam know, a day in the life of the eagle family now involves mostly eating, sleeping and flapping. Each day the eaglets develop more of the feathers that will help them become fledglings in about four to six weeks. Throughout the day we are fortunate to catch glimpses that show how the eagle family makes a nest into a home.

For example, we've recently seen some shots showing how the eaglets back up to the nest edge to slice -- which, as we mentioned before, is a falconer's term for defecating. We've also seen a parent eagle bringing in pine needles to add to the nest -- this is often done to freshen the nest and bury old food remains. And speaking of food remains, we've also seen shots of the eaglets digging for leftovers to snack on between meals.

Each day more of the eaglets' time is spent flapping and exercising their wings. This activity will become more common as we see them get closer to fledging. At this early stage, they hold onto the nest with their talons when they flap, so they don't go anywhere. But once they are stronger, they will let go of the nest and let themselves rise a little in the air. Eventually they will start making hop flights around the nest.

In our cam photos, we've also seen the ever-popular mealtime -- surely the best part of the eaglets' day. One of the cam watchers asked if the eagles eat at night. We hadn't really seen much of that activity until recently, when cam watchers caught several photos of a late-night feeding session, probably with some leftover fish. So it does appear that the eaglets may catch a late meal even after dark.

And finally, we've seen how the family handles a storm. On Monday night, Maryland had a big storm move through -- this was the same storm pattern that had brought deadly tornadoes to the Midwest. While the storm was still a couple hours off, the eaglets were relaxed and lying alone near the trunk of the tree. But as the strong winds and rain picked up, the mother eagle came down into the nest, and the eaglets stayed close to her until the storm weakened.

All in all, our Eagle Cam has shown us some wonderful moments in the eagles' lives. We feel fortunate to have a glimpse into their daily activities, and we thank our cam watchers for capturing many of these moments for us to share. We'll update the Eagle Gallery on Monday.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

As for how they look, here are a couple good comparison shots: The first photo compares how they looked right after their birth in late February with how they look now in early April. In the April photo, notice the current differences in their tail feathers -- the youngest is a little behind in tail growth.

And in the second photo we see how the wings of the mother differ from the oldest eaglet's wings, which are getting fuller every day. We would expect the chicks' first flight to occur around 9-13 weeks of age.

On a slightly different topic: We will be starting our chick-naming contest sometime in the next couple weeks. This year, we thought we'd try something a little different in that we're going to post several sets of names and let our cam watchers vote on them. At the time you vote, you will also be able to enter your email address, and then at the end of the contest we will have a random drawing for a prize from our Blackwater Refuge gift store. We'll announce the start of the contest in an upcoming web log.

And finally, we want to share a photo that one of our cam watchers kindly forwarded to us. Florence Keith of Battleboro, North Carolina happened to spot this bald eagle nest and was able to catch a shot with the eagle on it. It's always interesting to see different types of eagle nests up close. Thanks to Florence for sharing this with us!

Mating

It might seem a little late in the season to be talking about eagle mating considering that the two eagle parents now have six-week-old chicks in the nest, but I had the good fortune last week to have an eagle photographer loan me an eagle mating photo.

Gerald McKenna, whose gallery link I posted not long ago, pointed out that he had an eagle mating photo on his site. We've had a few off-angle mating photos in our Eagle Cam gallery, but this photo was special in that it offers such a clear view. Much thanks to Gerald for this unique look at something many eagle lovers never see in the wild.

When talking to people about bald eagles, it's not uncommon to hear the story repeated that bald eagles will mate in the air, with talons locked, as they're free-falling to earth. While it is true that bald eagles will engage in dramatic aerial displays when courting, the real mating or copulation occurs on the nest or in a tree -- not in the air.

As for the bald eagles' aerial displays during courtship, most of them are very impressive. One is called the cartwheel display, where the eagles will fly high, lock talons, and then cartwheel to earth, only breaking apart at the last moment before they hit the ground or water. Another is the chase display, where after chasing each other they will lock talons and roll together. And finally there is the roller-coaster display, where an individual eagle will fly high, fold its wings, then plummet down, only to swoop up at the last minute to avoid hitting the earth. While these aerial activities are certainly captivating to watch, eagle biologists report that the ritual of building the nest together is probably more powerful in securing a tight bond between the pair.

Another point to remember is that not every cartwheel display is courtship behavior. Cartwheeling is also often associated with aggression and defense of a territory. Sometimes eagles will grab at a competitor's talons or even lock talons and plummet to earth with the other bird as a form of battle and intimidation.

On the ARKive wildlife website, they have an interesting video of two European white-tailed eagles (the closest relative to our bald eagle) performing an aerial display. The video gives you a good look at the talon-grabbing and cartwheeling behavior. Go to the site to view or download the video (it's a 5MB download). The downloaded movie plays better.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)

In the meantime, we have waited long enough to move the Osprey Cam to a 1-minute refresh, and since we're not sure exactly when Craig is coming, we plan to go ahead and put both cams at 1-minute refreshes as soon as we can -- hopefully on Friday.

We select the 1-minute refresh time for a couple reasons: 1) our satellite dish provider has placed a limit on the amount of traffic we can send via the dish, and 1-minute refreshes on both cams keep us under that limit and 2) many of our cam watchers who are still using a dial-up Internet connection have said that anything faster than a 30-second refresh causes problems for them, as they say the image doesn't have enough time to finish loading before the next image arrives. So a 1-minute refresh on both cams seems to be the best arrangement we can come up with to satisfy most people's needs. We appreciate your patience as we fine tune the cams in preparation for the ospreys coming nesting season.

For those who are wondering about the ospreys, we would expect to see osprey eggs around mid-April. Once we get closer to that time, I'll open the 2006 Osprey Cam Web Log on the website and we'll talk more about what to expect at the osprey nest. Things look promising with the couple. They're eating at the nest and building up the nest cup, adding sod and soft material in preparation for the eggs. So everything looks good there.

As for the flapping tape you sometimes see on the Osprey Cam -- our cam technician had planned to remove the loose tape before the season started, but a broken ankle grounded him, so he decided that we will remove the tape on the next maintenance trip up the platform. Fortunately, the tape doesn't often interfere with the image and it doesn't seem to bother the birds.

As for the eaglets, they're growing each and every day. In case you missed it, we updated the Gallery on Wednesday, so be sure to check out the photos. I noticed in the last day or two that we're starting to see pin feathers on the youngest and small tail feathers on the oldest. Very exciting to see their feathers coming in this way.

Special Treat

Here at Blackwater Refuge we truly appreciate our cam watchers who are not only very loyal, but also very patient as we work through our technical issues and various other adventures with the cameras and the birds. As a thank you, I wanted to offer a special treat.

Some of you may have heard of Google Earth -- it's a satellite imaging program that the search company Google offers for free on its website. It's an amazing program that lets you basically travel the globe and get an aerial view of countless sights using satellite images.

In order to give our cam watchers from around the world a better idea as to where we are located, I've put together a short Google Earth movie showing the Earth from a distance and then zooming in to Blackwater Refuge, which is located near the town of Cambridge on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This area is also known as the Delmarva Peninsula, because the peninsula is comprised of Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia (Del-Mar-Va).

Our Refuge is very close to the Chesapeake Bay -- the largest estuary in the U.S. -- which splits the western and eastern shores of Maryland, so keep an eye out for that big blue landmark in the movie. In the clip, you will also see a box representing our Visitor Center on Key Wallace Drive. And at the end of the clip, you will see our Wildlife Drive, which looks like a thin white line running beside the waters of the Blackwater River in the area below the Visitor Center. The river that is emptying into the Refuge from above is the Little Blackwater River.

The movie is a 5.7 MB Windows Media Video file. You can right-click on the image below and choose "Save Target As" to download it to your computer to play. We hope you enjoy!

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
(contact)