Sightings had been ‘likely, but not guaranteed’
Cindy Gocek of Drums, in the foreground, along with Sharon Mrozinski of White Haven and Cheryl Lichtenwalner from Lehigh County, peer through binoculars near the historic Roeblings Bridge that spans the Delaware River from Pennsylvania’s Pike County to New York.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Cheryl Lichtenwalner from Lehigh County, in foreground, Sharon Mrozinski of White Haven and Cindy Gocek of Drums use binoculars on loan from Nescopeck State Park on a recent eagle watch.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Randy and Debbie Letterhouse of Blakeslee watch a group of eagles from a distance. The eagles are standing on the frozen surface of Lake Wallenpaupack.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Members of the eagle watch group were excited at the close-up view of this eagle, and estimated they spotted it about 15 feet from their van as the vehicle slowly made its way along the Lackawaxen River.
Photo courtesy Cheryl Lichtenwalner
Participants in Thursday’s eagle watch trip, organized by staff from Nescopeck State Park, estimated this eagle was only 15 feet from their van as they drove along the Lackawaxen River. Cheryl Lichtenwalner from Copley in Lehigh County captured this image before the eagle spread its wings and took off.
Photo courtesy Cheryl Lichtenwalner
Patty Maciejaszek of Mountain Top and Rose Kauffman of White Haven were fascinated by the history of Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct, also known as the Roebling Bridge, which spans the Delaware River near the Zane Grey Museum.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
“Woo-hoo!” the call came, sounding joyful and triumphant, near a dam overlook along Lake Wallenpaupack.
And no, it was not the call of a bald eagle.
Rather, it was the call of DCNR staffer Diane Madl, who was delighted to spot four eagles — three juveniles and one with the distinctive white head and tail feathers of a mature bird — standing together on the frozen surface of the lake.
The sighting came late Thursday afternoon, about six hours after Madl, an environmental education specialist at Nescopeck State Park, had set out from the park, driving a van filled with nine outdoor lovers on a quest to spot eagles — and the moment immediately increased the group’s tally of eagle sightings from 7 to 11.
There had been other excitement earlier, as the van traveled Towpath Road and Route 590 along the Lackawaxen River and spotted eagles’ nests as well as the occasional lone bird — including one that left its perch and flew within 15 feet of the van.
“I never saw an eagle that close, in the wild,” Cindy Gocek of Drums marveled.
Several people in the van tried to take a photo, with Cheryl Lichtenwalner from Lehigh County capturing several good images on her cell phone. She has generously agreed to share, and some of her photos are attached to this story.
Not everyone had such good timing.
“I got his back end as he flew away,” Sharon Mrozinski of White Haven said with a laugh.
Thursday’s trip was the third eagle-spotting expedition Nescopeck State Park staff have led in recent weeks. Pre-registration was required, because the van fills up fast. I had been on a wait list, and found out the evening before the trip that a seat had opened.
This expedition was the second one for retirees and seniors; another earlier trip had been a “Women in the Wilds” event for women only. If you check the events calendar on Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website (dcnr.pa.gov) you might find other outdoorsy events that appeal to you.
“I loved the Winter Solstice event,” Debbie Letterhouse of Blakeslee said, referring to a late December celebration at Nescopeck State Park.
The park also recently hosted a Winter Festival with nature walks, crafts, children’s games and visiting sled dogs (who pulled a cart, because there wasn’t enough snow for a sled).
The park hasn’t listed any additional eagle watch trips for this season, but if you want to look for eagles yourself, potential hot spots are the Lake Wallenpaupack Dam Overlook near Lakeville, the Roebling Bridge over the Delaware River and the areas of Towpath Road and Route 590 along the Lackawaxen River.
As Madl drove the eagle watchers to all those locations, they peppered her with questions and she explained that eagle eggs take about 30 days to hatch, there are usually three eggs in a clutch; both the mother and father bird have a “brood patch” of skin with no feathers, which helps them share warmth with their young; at 3 months the eaglets are ready to fly; it can take 5 years for a bald eagle’s distinctive white feathers to appear on its head and tail.
Shortly after the group spotted those four eagles on the lake, the mature bird flew away.
Debbie Letterhouse of Blakeslee spotted it again and wanted to help others locate it, too.
“See that light reflecting off the truck,” she said, pointing across the lake. “Now look to the left, just a little to the left, then up, up until you see the white head.”
“I see it!” I said looking with satisfaction through a pair of binoculars borrowed from the park office.
The next bird-related event at Nescopeck State Park will be 10 to 11:30 a.m. Feb. 17 in the classroom at the park office, 1137 Honey Hole Road, Drums, where you can learn to identify the park’s birds and submit your data to the Great Backyard Bird Count.
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