Bald Eagle Nest – Hinsdale, NH

Yesterday, I spent several hours watching and photographing the eagle nest just south of the boat ramp on the Connecticut River in Hinsdale, NH. The best viewing sites are a short (a couple of hundred feet) walk south of the parking area and just about the right distance from the nest for the 600 mm lens. (These photos are modest crops.)

The morning session involved a lot of watching one adult sitting on the nest and glimpses of movement indicating a nestling was present. However, the nestling never really shown itself. I was told by another fellow with a camera that the eaglet was between two and three weeks old.

The highlight of the morning session was a fly in by one adult carrying a fish. Alas, I was not quick enough to get a photo of the fish as it was dropped into the nest as the bird landed. There was much action down in the nest for several minutes, presumably as the fish was devoured by both adult and nestling. During this time the newly arrived bird hopped to a brand above the nest and watched the ‘show’ below.

Both adults remained on the nest for roughly fifteen or twenty minutes before the individual I had been watching all morning moved off the nest and onto a nearby branch. Shortly thereafter this bird dropped off said branch without warning by way of an exit. The other adult stood around on a branch above the nest for an interval of maybe ten or fifteen minutes before settling down in the nest.

After a lunch break, I returned to the nest to resume my vigil. Nothing much happened for the hour plus I watched except that I did get my best view (which was not great for photographs) of the eaglet for about a minute or two.

While watching the eagles, I tried not to get too distracted by the other birds, of which there were many, present in the trees around where I stood. However, I did manage to photograph a pair of orioles which nest in the area and one of the many catbirds that were present. I also saw a number of warblers but did not make any photographs of them.