Bay Photos by Donna

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I’ve shared many raptors either flying or perched in trees.  Not too often, I’ll get lucky to capture one on the ground, where they are usually on or near prey.

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Bald Eagle (adult)

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Bald Eagle (immature)

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Red-shouldered Hawk

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Turkey Vulture

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Bald Eagle

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Another Bald Eagle, different location along the shoreline

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And one final series of photos with a story about an eagle not on the ground, but in the water.

The story background – At a recent visit at Eastern Neck NWR’s Bogles Wharf and boat ramp, I was scoping the Chester River for waterfowl and spotted an eagle trying to stay atop the water while the tide was carrying it out towards the Chesapeake Bay.  I watched it for about five minutes; it seemed in distress by its lackluster wing movement to try to swim and exhausted behavior.  Sometimes it’d disappear below the water.

I quickly reached out to a couple refuge contacts, one told me to call Maryland’s DNR Wildlife Rescue Division.  I did, telling them the eagle’s distress and the tide had it, and they needed to bring a boat.  A boat?  As you can imagine, that did not seem to go over so well on a late Sunday afternoon.  The officer said he’d see what he could do, took the location and my info, and the call ended.  I didn’t feel too good about a boat or rescue coming.

There was nothing else I could do but keep my eye on the eagle as it continued being pulled down the river.  I was very worried.

Well…..I should know better about the strength and willpower wildlife has to survive!

I watched in amazement as the eagle suddenly went into a very strong swim and miraculously broke from the pulling tide, making aim for the cove I was in, and not stopping.

“GO, EAGLE, GO!”

The eagle made it into the cove and finally stopped, taking a much needed floating rest.  That’s when I finally ran for my camera from my car.  The eagle began swimming again, passing the shoreline to its left and aiming for a snag laying in the water across from me and the boat ramp.

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An exhausted Bald Eagle swimming for a snag on the shoreline

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Series of the swim, heavily cropped

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I went back to my binoculars and watched the eagle finally make it to the snag and climb up on it.

I noted it did not have anything in its talons, which was one reason it could have been in its dire situation due to a heavy prey capture.

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Bald Eagle makes it way, walking along the snag to the shoreline

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Bald Eagle stopping to flap those water-logged wings

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The eagle finally reached the shoreline and disappeared behind the marsh grass.  With my binoculars, I could see it just sitting there, probably thinking, “Whew, that was one helluva swim!”

It sure was!  It had been 45 minutes since I first saw the eagle in the water, and it had certainly been in the water longer.

Not sure why the eagle was in its dire situation, but I was so happy to see it make it to the shore.  We’re going to hope it was able to recuperate quickly that evening/next day, and that I’ve since seen it in the air or up in a tree during a visit since at the refuge.  🙂

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