Birding Archives - Page 8 of 8 - Riverside Outfitters

Will Cooper’s Island bald eagles lay eggs?

The eagles of Cooper’s Island are sending mixed signals. First, it didn’t look like they’d use the nest that they’ve dropped eggs into the past two years. Then, last Friday and Saturday, they returned and mated both days. They were on the nest again the past couple of days, but, according to stalwart eagle watcher Judy Self, they haven’t really been exhibiting the behavior typical of parents-to-be. They haven’t done much fixing up of the nest, and they haven’t spent as much time there as, for istance, the eagles on the eagle cam in Windsor Farms spent at their nest before eggs were laid.

On Monday Self and I watched them bring what appeared to be a very large fish to the nest and eat for a while. Yesterday, they returned for an hour or two, but then flew off to parts unknown. Eagles generally take 3-4 days between a successful mating and the dropping of the first egg. That means if the Saturday mating session that Self witnessed was successful, the female should drop an egg no later than today.

We’ll see. Stay tuned.

(If you want to take in the eagle show, the best place to watch is from the 5100 block of Riverside Drive in Westover Hills.)

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Eagles return to Cooper’s Island

The eagles featured on the Times-Dispatch’s eagle cam have stolen the show this year, grabbing the attention of thousands of birders all over the country as they mate, lay eggs and get ready to rear young. But in my Friday column in the T-D I wondered about the eagles Cooper’s Island. This time last year it was this pair that was generating headlines and had people lined up with binoculars on Riverside Drive in Westover Hills for a glimpse.

Cooper’s Island sits just west of the Nickel Bridge toward the south bank of the James River. There are two tall pine trees on it, the larger of which hosts the nest. Last year, the eagles laid eggs but were run off before they hatched in a territorial dispute with another eagle. Judy Self, a retired teacher, who watched them religiously last year from Riverside with her spotting scope, thinks the mother crushed the eggs by accident while defending the nest from the other eagle.

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Eagle cam on the James River

Rex Springston has a front-page story in today’s Times-Dispatch about a new camera set up to watch a bald eagle nest on the James River. The camera was paid for and erected by William and Mary’s Center for Conservation Biology, with the goal, according to the center’s director Bryan Watts of, trying “to get the general public more in touch with the natural environment that we’re living in.”

Bald eagle pairs are now beginning to prepare their nests for the late-winter breeding period and it should be a lot of fun, hopefully, to watch chicks emerge in the spring. According to Springston’s piece, this nest has produced viable offspring every year since 2001. The owner of the land where these eagles are nesting didn’t want its location publicized, but I’ve heard about a nest in a pine tree in the Windsor Farms neighborhood. My guess is that’s this one.

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Why the drop in bald eagle numbers on the James?

Gotta be the temperatures. At least that’s the speculation of Mike Ostrander, catfish, history and eagle tour guide, in his most recent blog post. Here’s an excerpt:

Today is the beginning of the New Year, 2012. I have to say a long morning on the James River, watching bald eagles is a pretty good start. One thing comes to mind after today’s journey on the river. The sheer difference in numbers of eagles this year versus last year in Jefferson’s Reach…The reason is pretty clear, I believe, and it’s temperature. Last year, the end of December was much colder. Today and yesterday were days where the high temps were in the 60’s! That’s amazingly warm for this time of year. The colder the weather, the more eagles we have in the area, as the cold air drives the migratory eagles further south into our area.

Ostrander’s blog features a number of great eagle pictures. If you’re a birder or just a general nature lover, his web site should be on your favorites list.

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Go see a WMA, but bring your wallet

I’ve always thought that Virginia’s Wildlife Management Areas flew under the radar for those outdoor-loving, but non-hunting and angling, Virginians. WMAs are packed during hunting season, and fishermen know the opportunities they provide. But I’m not sure other outdoor enthusiasts — trail runners, hikers, bikers and bird watchers — realize how much the WMA’s have to offer — the amount of trail, the natural beauty. Well, in a few days, those non-hunters and anglers are going to have to pay — though not much — for the pleasure.

Beginning January 1, visitors to Wildlife Management Areas and public fishing lakes owned by the DGIF who are age 17 and older will need to have an Access Permit unless they possess a valid Virginia hunting, freshwater fishing, or trapping license, or a current Virginia boat registration. Daily and Annual Access Permits for WMAs and department-owned public fishing lakes will be available January 1 for purchase at www.dgif.virginia.gov, by calling 1-866-721-6911 during business hours. Cost for the Daily Access Permit is $4 and the cost for the Annual Access Permit is $23. The Access Permit, whether Daily or Annual, can be used to access any WMA and DGIF-owned public fishing lake statewide.

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries owns more than 201,000 acres of land on 39 Wildlife Management Areas located across the Commonwealth. The DGIF also owns 35 public fishing lakes statewide. Most of the land and the lakes were purchased using primarily revenue from the sale of hunting licenses, freshwater fishing licenses, and trapping licenses. Revenue from these sales has also paid for upkeep of the DGIF-maintained roads, parking areas, kiosks, and wildlife and fish habitat and management work done on these properties. Over the years, hunters and anglers who shouldered the cost to acquire and to maintain these sites, have shared the property with bird watchers, wildflower enthusiasts, horseback riders, and others who have had the benefit of accessing these locations at no cost. But that is going to change on January 1.

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Sunrise on the James River

Mike Ostrander is the James River’s jack of all trades. He’s a catfishing guide — for blue cats on the tidal James and flatheads in the falls; he’s a history guide; he’s an eagle guide; and he’s a youth fishing instructor. I’ve written about him a number of times in columns for the Times-Dispatch. And because Ostrander’s on the water so much — at all hours of the day — he consistently comes up with some amazing pics of the river.

The above is one of those. It was taken at sunrise yesterday on the tidal James. Of course, I’m partial to the one below, taken in the same area right around four years ago. That’s me with a 66-pound blue cat. My biggest catch ever!

If you have a moment, check out the pics on Mike’s site: www.discoverthejames.com. It’ll make you realize what we have here and Richmond and want to go experience it more often.

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