The Cooper’s Island bald eagle nest upstream of Nickel Bridge. At this size the chicks are difficult to see. Credit: Chris Johnson

Local photographer Chris Johnson is as adept with the camera on his drone as he is with the one in his hand. Here are some shots taken from above the Cooper’s Island bald eagle nest (just upstream of the Nickel Bridge). In case you’re worried, Johnson emailed with Bryan Watts of the Center for Conservation Biology about flying a drone close(ish) to bald eagles. Watts said the key was to give them their space, as they can be easily spooked. Johnson did that and came away with these really cool shots.

This is the same picture, only zoomed in and cropped. Here you can make out two grey, fuzzy chicks — one at 9 o’clock, the other (harder to see) at 6 o’clock. Credit: Chris Johnson

Osprey with a fish downtown. Credit: Chris Johnson

After seeing the bald eagle article in Wednesday’s Times-Dispatch, local photographer Chris Johnson headed out in search of the avian predators on the James River. He didn’t find them on the nest on Cooper’s Island just upstream of Nickel Bridge, so he went down to the Floodwall in Manchester to see what was going on there. Meanwhile, I walked from my house to the Copper’s Island nest observation area in the 5100 block of Riverside Drive south of the James. Johnson hadn’t found them there, but I did. One came flying in from downstream just as Judy Self was arriving.

Self is an eagle lover who I met at this spot looking for eagles three years prior. She had her powerful spotting scope, and soon a crowd had gathered to ogle the bird (and then birds when a second one arrived). Even Ralph White was there.

After a few minutes, I received a text from Johnson downtown. “Just got a close range eagle/osprey fight!”

A bald eagle harasses the osprey until it drops the fish. Credit: Chris Johnson

Those are the pics you see here. Johnson said that an eagle went after an osprey that had nabbed what looks like a shad. Eventually, the eagle won the battle and the osprey dropped the fish. All that was happening near the Floodwall while we were watching two eagles tend to either eggs or chicks a couple of miles up river.

How cool is the James River in Richmond?

Four years ago I covered the daily comings and goings of a pair of bald eagles on an island in the James River not too far from my house. Cooper’s Island is just upstream (and visible from) the Nickel Bridge. There’s also a great view of it from the 5100 block of Riverside Drive. That year, 2011, I watched as another eagle attacked the nest and drove those eagles out of the area.

T-D photog Dean Hoffmeyer snapped this photo of the Cooper’s Island eagle on March 17. What a shot!

Now, after three years where no nesting attempts were made, it appears a pair is back on Cooper’s Island.

Rex Springston reported in today’s Times-Dispatch (and Dean Hoffmeyer captured some great pictures) of eagles in one of two towering pine trees on the island. Springston quoted bird scientist Bryan Watts, of the Center for Conservation Biology, as saying that it was obvious the nest had been rebuilt after three years of neglect, and he could see eggs that should have hatched by now.

Additionally, Watts confirmed to Springston what I reported here a couple of weeks ago: There’s a third eagle nest in the city of Richmond between the Stony Point Fashion Park and the James River near the Willey Bridge.

This is all really cool news for lovers of America’s defining avian symbol. Check back here regularly for more updates. I plan on heading out there today with local photographer Chris Johnson to see if we can capture the eagles in action.

Ryan (left) and I on the mapping boat last April. Credit: Kevin Morley/Times-Dispatch

If you followed RichmondOutside.com this past summer, you probably saw posts about our project with the James River Association to create a surface-level image map of the 343-mile James River — the first such map ever created of an entire river. That map is live at our sister site Terrain360.com as well as the JRA’s site TheJamesRiver.org.

It was a challenging undertaking, logistically, technically and in a lot of other ways for myself and Ryan Abrahamsen, the other half of RichmondOutside.com and Terrain360.com. We hope to announce soon a new, even larger-scale water mapping project for this summer. In the meantime, we’ve got some other news that we think is pretty big.

Today TEDxRVA announced its (partial) lineup of speakers for the April 10 event at the Carpenter Theater at CenterStage, and Ryan is one of them. He’ll be using our experience on the James and with Terrain360.com to explore the intersection of technology and the outdoors, how the former, long seen as a barrier to getting people outside, can actually be a gateway to the latter. There’s more to it, of course, all of which will be explored in under 18 minutes on April 10 at TEDxRVA.

Bald eagles are busy fixing up their nests this time of year. Credit: Chris Johnson

It’s bird season on the James River in Richmond, and that makes us here at RO excited because it means we can feature the work of one of our favorite photographers: Chris Johnson. If you’re on Instagram, maybe you already follow him at @vintage_rva.

Last week, Johnson went down to Pony Pasture in search of the eagles that nest on Williams Island. It seemed like he was going to strike out, he said, until an older couple pointed one out on an island across from the Pony Pasture boat ramp.

He also found a pileated woodpecker in the Pony Pasture woods.

Soon, Johnson aid, it will be on to ospreys and herons closer to downtown. So check back in every week for more of his work.

That crown of red on a pileated woodpecker always brightens up the winter woods. Credit: Chris Johnson

Our friends at the James River Association are accepting applications for the fifth annual James River Expedition, “a floating classroom” where students paddle down the 340-mile length of the James River. Rising 10^th-and 11^th-grade students who live within the watershed are encouraged to apply before Friday, March 20 deadline.

Last year’s Lower James River Expedition on Day 1 in Richmond.

For the fifth straight year, the Expedition is sponsored by the Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources. 

Students selected for the program will have the opportunity to go on one of three week-long trips that collectively travel the length of the James River over the summer. During the Expedition, which begins June 27, participants will learn about conservation, responsible stewardship and the river’s history while camping and traveling aboard canoes, bateaux rafts and work boats. Participants hear from diverse perspectives on the river to understand the many demands society places on it and the future challenges for keeping it healthy.

No previous paddling or camping experience is required. Educational staff will provide expert instruction on paddling, camping, and team building. Students who care about environmental stewardship, have a curiosity about the river, and enjoy leadership and teamwork are encouraged to apply. Thirty positions are available.

Since 2011, more than 107 students and 23 teachers from 34 schools across Virginia have participated in the Expedition.

The Upper James River Expedition passes through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“We’re incredibly proud of the Expedition’s legacy. Over the past four years, students have had life changing experiences spending a week on the James River  learning about its importance and history, and taking those learnings back to their schools, families and communities,” said Bill Street, chief executive officer of the James River Association. “We are excited to offer once again this unique and powerful life experience to the next generation of river stewards to ensure a healthy future for ‘America’s Founding River.’”

The James River Association also is seeking three public high-school educators to help lead the Expedition trips. Educators from all disciplines are encouraged to apply to join this year’s James River Expedition. The deadline for teachers to apply is Friday, March 13.

Interested students and teachers can find more information and applications by clicking here or by contacting Georgia Busch at gbusch@jrava.org or 804.788.8811 ext. 214.

The icy James. Credit: Hunter Davis

Editor’s note: Thanks to Hunter Davis for sharing these words, pics and video with us. For more from Davis, check out HomeontheJames.com

I’ve always enjoyed a good snow day.  Whether it’s outside sledding with your buddies or huddled inside, warming up with a hot meal.  Snow can give a whole new outlook to everyday life.  When I initially saw the snow forecast, excitement started to build with thoughts on how to celebrate the white stuff we rarely see here in Richmond.

My buddy Joey just got done riding the JayP’s Backyard Fat Pursuit in Idaho about a month ago.  The Backyard Pursuit is a fat bike race that covers about 120 miles in the snow around Yellowstone National Park and is incredibly challenging.  Joey completed the race on a CHUMBA Cycles URSA 29er+, in which he said performed fantastic in the snow.  Needless to say, I was curious to see Joey and the URSA take on the terrain here in RVA.  Check out SNOW DAY part 1 as Joey grabs the first tracks in Forest Hill Park after receiving six inches of snow.

After parting ways with Joey, I headed to the 14th Street Takeout to meet up with a crew of whitewater boaters.  It was time to see the city from river level – arctic style.

This is not something you see every winter in Richmond. Credit: Hunter Davis

We decided to hike out to 42nd Street Rocks to begin our descent.  Although it wasn’t easy to reach the main flow of the river due to ice, the scenery is breathtaking.  SNOW DAY part 2 documents the majority of the our trip as we navigate the falls on the James River.

I think what I enjoy most about the winter and snow is the silence that accompanies it.  A blanket of snow seems to trap the normal sounds of the city, making the park more intimate.  I hope everybody had a chance to get out and have a SNOW DAY of their own.

Trail counters have captured huge visitation numbers at the James River Park.

Over the weekend the T-D’s Rex Springston wrote a piece about huge visitation numbers at the James River Park over the past year. It’s a story we’ve been on top of here at RichmondOutside since last spring when the park installed car- and people-counting cameras at a number of different park entrances.

Th cameras were installed in May, so they only counted for two-thirds of the year, but they still recorded over 900,000 visitors during that time — far more than the 527,153 visitors reported by Maymont for 2013. Maymont was first among local attractions as ranked by Richmond Region Tourism.

VCU researcher Vicky Shivy told Springston that in the summer of 2012, her students counted and interviewed park visitors. Based on their findings, Shivy estimated the full year’s park visitation at 1.5 million.

Others also found the numbers hard to believe. “I think some people thought I was out of my mind,” Shivy said.

These new stairs will connect the entrance to the bridge over the train tracks to Northbank Trail below.

In other James River Park news, I snapped these pics of a new walkway to the Northbank Trail while on my way to Texas Beach. According to James River Outdoor Coalition’s Facebook page, the stairs are the result of the first of two work days utilizing REI Richmond Market grant funds to complete new stairs at Texas Beach Access. These new stairs will create a safe path of ascent for park users looking to exit the Northbank Trail, or descend onto the Northbank trail. The stairs are located next to the covered bridge over the CSX railway.

Also last week, I spoke with JRPS superintendent Nathan Burrell to get some updates on stories we’ve featured here in the past. He said the construction work going on in the Reedy Creek parking lot is indeed the first steps in getting the long-delayed Greg Hawkins Memorial water fountain put in. The water lines are in. The human/dog-friendly fountain comes next. He added that he hopes to have five bike work stations (similar to the ones pictured) installed at JRPS units (Reedy Creek, Brown’s Island, Belle Isle, Great Shiplock Park, and Texas Beach parking lot) before spring.

Where the Greg Hawkins Memorial water fountain will soon be located at the Reedy Creek parking lot.

Maybe you know about the pair of bald eagles that has nested in Windsor Farms and now on Williams Island for over a decade. Virginia and James, as the Times-Dispatch readers named them (the T-D set up a cam above the nest three years ago), seem to be doing fine. Local photographer and friend of the program Chris Johnson saw them just the other day when he was flying his drone above Williams Island.

Other eagles have attempted to nest on Cooper’s Island near the Nickel Bridge in recent years, but they never produced viable offspring.

Now, it looks like another nesting attempt is being made in city limits, and — surprise! — it’s not on the James River. Reader Denise Wade sent me this picture just the other day. She took it in Bryan Park on Upper Youngs Pond. She added that the bird appears to be working on a nest adjacent to the pond.

I’m heading to the park today to check it out and hopefully get some pictures. It’s still early in the nest-building/chick-making season, but how cool would it be if Richmond is soon home to two bald eagle nests? If you happen to live near Bryan Park and see the eagle at work, shoot me an email (andy@richmondoutside.com) and let me know what you saw.

Late last week our friends at the James River Association announced the launch of a regional planning effort to make the major rivers of the Richmond region a center piece for entertainment, recreation and commerce. It was an announcement the Times-Dispatch felt important enough to put on the front of their Saturday paper.

The development of a regional rivers plan was one of four strategies presented by the James River Work Group of the Capital Region Collaborative, which is a joint effort between the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. The team of Timmons Group and 3 North was selected to lead this regional planning effort by JRA. Additionally, the effort has been expanded beyond the Richmond Region boundaries to include the south bank of the Appomattox River which is part of the Crater Planning District.

The old Vepco Levy Bridge will soon become a new bike/pedestrian bridge over the James River in Richmond.

“We are thrilled to work with the business community and local governments to help the region become more connected to its rivers and to realize even more benefits from these wonderful natural assets,” said Bill Street, CEO for the James River Association. “It is critical that we have a strong plan that will guide the use of the river while also making sure we protect what makes the rivers so special.”

Street was in charge of the James River Work Group, and he told me that while they started out thinking more narrowly in terms of the James, that quickly changed based on input from the localities.

“It really made sense to look at all the opportunities on all of our rivers that we can take advantage of,” Street said.

The plan will complement the recommendations of the Richmond Riverfront Plan and identify opportunities to improve and establish new public access to the James, Appomattox, Chickahominy, and Pamunkey Rivers. Additionally, it will identify opportunities for river-related business development.

Street said the public will be invited to participate in the planning process, which is expected to begin in the the spring and last about six months. “It lines up well,” he added, of the timing. “It’s when people are engaged with the river.”

Street said that what he’s most excited about: the prospect of arriving at a product that all the localities agree on. “Then things can really move forward quickly, if you get the right buy-in. That’s what I’m really hoping is that we get a plan that everyone endorses and everyone is behind. Then we can start moving forward on making it a reality.”

About $100,000 in financial support for the planning process came from Altria Group, MeadWestvaco Foundation, and The Community Foundation, as well as The Cameron Foundation, which provided funding to include the south bank of the Appomattox River.

“The Regional Rivers Plan will identify opportunities to create a region-wide public-access network along the rivers and river-related economic development that will improve the entire region’s quality of life,” said Justin Doyle, the project manager for the JRA.