– Joe Coughlin
On Saturday, November 2, 2013, I will lead a field trip to the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River on Rte 1 in Hareford Co. MD for interested SSCC members.
The Dam has been a favorite location for viewing eagles, great blue herons and many pother species of birds, especially in Nov. & Dec. There is a new Fisherman’s Park viewing area just below the Dam that is the central viewing location for visitors and photographers. The eagles are typically more numerous at this time but can vary from day to day. There are rookeries of herons across the river. Sometimes there are eagles roosting in the trees around the parking lot just waiting for another meal or eating their latest catch. The birds are there most of the time feeding on the fish below the Dam. When the Dam needs to generate peak time electricity it opens some gates to let more water out and with that comes more fish from the storage pond on the other side of the Dam and with that the eagles go into a feeding frenzy. This typically occurs early in the morning and early evening at peak demand times. However, that event can vary from day to day.
Because most of the photo opportunities, except for ant around the parking lot, are in the center of the river, below the Dam and / or on the other side of the river, I would recommend telephoto lenses with tripods. A simple point and shoot camera w/ a fixed focal length lens or a small telephoto lens may not be enough for good close up shots. Your call!
A good description of the site and its photo opportunities is on the following sites:
http://www.harfordbirdclub.org/conowingo.html
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=205101
For those who may want to car pool, we will meet at 8:00am in the White Oak strip mall in the back of the parking lot, by N. H. Ave., of the Sears Automotive Center, on the left of the entrance road off New Hampshire Ave., just south of the Rte 29 and facing N.H. Ave. (east Silver Spring, Montgomery Co). I have a silver Toyota Avalon and will have a SSCC sign on my windshield and wil be standing outside my car. We will leave the parking lot at 8:30 sharp, as it will take about 1 ½ hours to get there.
Directions:
We will drive up Interstate 95, through the tunnel (toll) in Baltimore north to exit 74 (Rte 152 Mountain Rd.), or exit 77 (Rte 24 Veterans Memorial Hwy.) towards Bel Air. Right (North) on Rte 1 (Conowingo Dam Rd.) for several miles to Shuresville Rd., just before the dam, south of the river. Turn east (right) on Shuresville Road. After one-half mile, make the first (sharp) left, onto Shures Landing Road. Follow the road to the parking lot at the base of the dam, where it dead ends. Fisherman’s Park is right there. There is a pavilion there which provides shelter during bad weather. The parking lot is open every day of the year from at least 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Shuresville Landing Road is steep and winding. There are public bathrooms at the pavilion. Just north of the dam, on Route 1, at the junction of Route 222, there is a store that has gas, coffee, and sandwiches. At the same intersection there is a small diner that provides cheap food. (Some of this description was taken from the Bird Club site above.)
Dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes for standing.
For those who may wish to visit other sites in the area, the Susquehanna State Park is about five miles to the south of the Dam and the city of Havre de Grace is about ten miles to the south, both on the Rive
For those interested in joining us please send me an e-mail with your name, e-mail address and phone number.
Rain date: Sunday, November 3rd.
Joe Coughlin
hjc12 (at) verizon.net