Celebrating eagles on the Delaware

Those who’ve been watching for eagles agree: activity along the Upper Delaware River has been pretty quiet lately. The majority of migrating eagles have not yet arrived from Canada, according to Lori McKean, founder and director of the Eagle Institute in Lackawaxen, PA. McKean said the recent mild weather could be the cause.

Peter Nye, an endangered species biologist at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, flew by helicopter over Sullivan County on Tuesday morning, January 11, just before the daylong snowstorm began. “Very quiet, eagle-wise,” Nye reported. He did see 66 eagles flying over the Mongaup reservoirs.

“[There were] only five or six along the Delaware River main stem from Port Jervis to Narrowsburg. All water on the river is completely open. Several birds were seen at their nests,” he reported.

Still, McKean said 15 permanent nests occupy trees in the Upper Delaware valley. A pair has been seen regularly over the Big Eddy in Narrowsburg, according to John and Yoke Bauer DiGiorgio, organizers of EagleFest. The fourth annual festival will celebrate the bald eagle this Saturday, January 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Read more in our Outdoors and Leisure sections.