Good Year For Bald Eagles At Ridgefield NWR

Our favorite spot in the area for bird watching is Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. We’re regulars, going at least once a week this time of year. One thing we’re seeing this season is a lot more Bald Eagles.

Photo By Dennis Newman

It’s not unusual for us to get a good look at a half dozen eagles or more. Of course, it’s no guarantee you’ll see that many. Last weekend we saw only two. But that’s still pretty good.

There’s no evidence backing up our observation that Bald Eagle numbers are up from the past few years. But when I spoke with refuge specialist Eric Anderson about it, he agreed there does appear to be more eagles.

We’re also seeing more River Otters. A couple of weeks ago we spent about 20 minutes watching an amazing interaction between otters and an eagle.

The eagle was sitting on a tree trunk that had fallen into a creek. There were several otters in the water below him, and we think he was trying to steal their fish. The otters climbed up the trunks to scare away the eagle, but he’d only jump to another trunk. It was a real “National Geographic” like moment.

And I forgot my camera…

I almost forgot to mention we’re seeing the eagles on the auto tour section of the refuge.  The car makes an excellent blind.