December 22 - Checking for Wintering Eagles

     It's a chilly day, the first full day of winter.  We decide to take an early look to see if any of our favorite eagle haunts will yield any Bald eagles which come into the Hudson Valley at this time of year.  Granted, it is a bit early - we normally expect to see them arriving in early January.  But it has been a pretty cold December, so we figure what the heck.

      Our first spot is the Route 6 overlook across the Hudson from Iona Island.  What a difference from yesterday!  The temperature has dropped more than 20 degrees and with it the winds have blown into the valley with a vengeance.  Not only are there no eagles braving the gusts, but very few other birds can be found as well.  After checking out the canoe launch at Annsville Circle in Peekskill, we start to realize that our eagle hunt may be a bust.  We'll just head down to Croton Train Station and Croton Point Park to check out the bay for wintering waterfowl.

     The  winds and the high tide have all the gulls hauled out onto dry land and the ducks I found here last week and in hiding as well.  We figure a quick ride up onto the old landfill at Croton Point Park may be our only chance at raptors today.  We quickly find a wise Red-tailed hawk which has perched downwind on the leeward side of the landfill where the wind is still strong but relatively calm considering what we felt up on the overlook.  He makes a number of short forays in search of prey but quickly returns to his perch.  He is fairly close to the roadway and makes for some interesting opportunities for photos.

     Finally, we decide to take a look up at Croton Dam, another roosting site for wintering eagles.  When we arrive and scan the shoreline we find once again that the combination of heavy winds and early timing on our part equal zero sightings of eagles.  We loop back around to get a look at the spillway and find that yesterday's prolonged period of heavy rains have turned the normally placid falls into a raging torrent.  While the eagle plan was not productive, we certainly did get some nice views suitable for capturing on our day's outing.  You'll never see what you don't get out to look at!