Parker Preserve Eagle.....
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there is a bald eagle in the parker preserve that likes to sit in a large dead tree in back of a mostly dry resevoir to the west of 563.he will let you get nowhere near him,binoculars are a must.if you get closer then 300 yards he's outta there.
Al
Al
Just some information for those unfamiliar with Bald Eagles and may plan go to take a look. Nest building and breeding will be happening over the next 3-4 months and the birds are very sensitive to being approached at that time. The Feds have severe fines for disturbing them. The bird is listed as endangered in NJ and may have distance limits for approaching a nest as well. Two of the best places to reliably see numbers of them is during the Cumberland Eagle Festival in February and the Upper Delaware River during January and February. About 2 hours from here is Conowingo Dam in Maryland where, during the month of December, over 100 birds can be seen. The Fed info at the link is offered as a heads-up, the reg's portion starts around page 7 of the pdf. Hope this helps.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/guidelines/NationalBaldEagleManagementGuidelines.pdf
Immature bird on the Upper Delaware.
I am glad Steve Resotko did not read the act prior to capturing and ostensibly saving the eagle dubbed "Jersey Girl" !!! Even if he had, and he was warned, he would still do the same thing. Obviously the law is directed to penalize real felons.
The Eagle Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668c), enacted in 1940, and amended several times since
then, prohibits anyone, without a permit issued by the Secretary of the Interior, from
“taking” bald eagles, including their parts, nests, or eggs. The Act provides criminal and
civil penalties for persons who “take, possess, sell, purchase, barter, offer to sell,
purchase or barter, transport, export or import, at any time or any manner, any bald eagle
... [or any golden eagle], alive or dead, or any part, nest, or egg thereof.”
The Eagle Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668c), enacted in 1940, and amended several times since
then, prohibits anyone, without a permit issued by the Secretary of the Interior, from
“taking” bald eagles, including their parts, nests, or eggs. The Act provides criminal and
civil penalties for persons who “take, possess, sell, purchase, barter, offer to sell,
purchase or barter, transport, export or import, at any time or any manner, any bald eagle
... [or any golden eagle], alive or dead, or any part, nest, or egg thereof.”
Technically he was in violation and could have been prosecuted. Common sense says he wouldn't be, and fortunately he wasn't. The law is directed to prevent harm to the birds, regardless of ones criminal status. This fellow took a risk, both to the bird and to himself. He could just as easily caused more harm to the bird, or the tables could have been reversed and the bird could have done a lot of harm to him. If you've never seen one of these birds up close and personal, their armament is pretty substantial, starting with their talons and moving to their beaks. They are incredibly strong. Should I ever be in such a situation, I believe the prudent thing to do would be to notify authorities, preferably a wildlife rehabilitator, F&W keeps a list on their web site, and then remain until they arrived.
The one above and the 2 in the tree were from the truck window with a 500/4. I usually have this lens coupled to a 1.4x teleconverter, but this bird landed too close.
I was surprised that it even came out, as after taking the shot, I found my neoprene lens cover stuck within the sunshade 
It's kind of tough handling that thing behind the steering wheel.If you can get the chance the Upper Delaware in January makes a nice weekend trip. The Institute maintains 2 blinds on the Rio reservior. Info below.
http://www.eagleinstitute.org/
This reminds me of the photo that Jess took last week of the eagle in the corn field next to the dead deer.... I am glad to know that the person finding the eagle in Essex had enough sense to contact the proper rescue agency. It would be totally intimidating to find a bird of that size in distress. I have seen them up close and they are really phenomenal.....and large.
Thanks for the article DK...
turtle
Thanks for the article DK...
turtle
