There鈥檚 a feeling of anticipation and childlike wonder as birders gather at the base of a dam in western 黑料吃瓜网.
Dozens of eyes pierce through rows of evergreens and sycamores, scanning the gray sky.
Suddenly, a pop of brilliant white blazes in the distance.
The star of the show is here. A bald eagle soars into view.
鈥淕reat shot!鈥� Lucy Walker exclaims. 鈥淲e have a bald eagle flying up and over the dam.鈥�
For a long time, bald eagles were rare in 黑料吃瓜网. But in recent decades, the birds of prey have made a stunning comeback. And here, at the Shepaug Dam in Southbury, the raptor鈥檚 recovery is on full display.
During winter, birds pop up at this hydroelectric dam to hunt for food. The dam keeps the nearby portion of the Housatonic River from freezing, making this a popular feeding spot. Last year, more than 30 eagles turned up on one day.
Perched birders watch with binoculars as the eagle鈥檚 white head and tail races past.
Walker, the manager of the bald eagle observatory that has been in operation here for nearly 40 years, explains to visitors what they are seeing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 heading right at us,鈥� Walker says. 鈥淐ircling around back towards the dam. Let鈥檚 see; is it going to land somewhere?鈥�
For a moment, the bird dips out of sight.
鈥淲here鈥檇 he go?鈥� Walker asks, her eyes scanning the nearby water.
Suddenly, the eagle comes shooting back.
鈥淭here he is!鈥� Walker says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 right along the river.鈥�
An observer shouts with excitement: 鈥淗e鈥檚 skimming!鈥� Sure enough, the flying eagle appears to have pulled something from the water with its sharp talons. The bird perches on a nearby tree, its head bobbing behind a thicket of branches.
Scott Thomas, a volunteer at the site, sets up a viewing scope to take a closer look.
鈥淚s he eating?鈥� Walker asks?
鈥淥h, he鈥檚 feeding on something there,鈥� Thomas replies.
鈥淗e got a little fishy.鈥�
River offers eagles easy-to-grab meals
Bald eagles are drawn to this spot because of the water and the fish, Walker says.
When the dam is running, it鈥檚 moving water. That means the river can鈥檛 freeze and fish get pushed along like easy-to-grab meals on a sushi bar conveyor belt.
鈥淭hey go through a very big turbine and they get pulled from deeper sections of water into shallower sections of water,鈥� Walker explains. 鈥淎nd these fish have to kind of come to the surface to adjust the pressure on their body. Which makes it for easy fishing.鈥�
The dam, named the Shepaug Hydroelectric Station, is owned by FirstLight. The nearby observation post, which the power company currently funds, opened for birders to come and take a peek.
Since then, it鈥檚 hosted tens of thousands of visitors. Birders huddle inside the Shepaug Eagle View observatory, or grab a peek outside behind a fence, which is situated about 1,000 feet from the birds to give the animals the space they need to not get spooked and fly away.
When the observation post opened in 1985, bald eagles were in trouble 鈥� listed on the endangered species list. The only way you could really see one in 黑料吃瓜网 was if it was coming south during the winter to hunt for food, Walker says.
But today, thanks to conservation efforts, the eagles are back. Latest in the state. In 2022, eagles produced more than 100 chicks. Early counts from 2023 show roughly 100 active bald eagle nests in 黑料吃瓜网, up from about 30 a decade ago, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
For birders, the bald eagle boon has made this Southbury spot a veritable honey pot. Last year, 32 eagles popped up here just on one day.
Perched inside a heated hut filled with bald eagle posters and bird facts, visitor David Reuman scans through an observation window to catch a glimpse. He says he heard about the viewing spot from a friend.
鈥淓verybody who鈥檚 been here recommended it. And that was enough for us,鈥� Reuman says.
Birders bask in avian splendor
Today鈥檚 eagle is snacking near a spot known to the birders here. It鈥檚 called the 鈥淰-tree.鈥�
Walker says other nearby eagle hangouts have names that are equally descriptive: 鈥渟kinny tree,鈥� 鈥渇irst tree鈥� and 鈥渢hat is called the white pine,鈥� she says.
鈥淪o we鈥檒l go, 鈥極h, there's a bird in the white pine!鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淎nd everybody who works here knows exactly what I'm talking about.鈥�
Lorraine Amalavage, another guide at the site, says other birds pop up here, too. As a reporter arrives, a pileated woodpecker, , flies over the parking lot. Nearby, a pair of ravens builds a nest.
鈥淲e can get red-shouldered hawks, red-tailed hawks, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned Hawks,鈥� Amalavage explains. 鈥淲e've had a peregrine falcon that鈥檚 made an appearance once in a while.鈥�
But it鈥檚 the bald eagles that steal the show. Amazing kids and retirees who are kids at heart.
鈥淣ormally what you get 鈥� the first thing when they look through a scope 鈥� is, 鈥業t鈥檚 an eagle! I see it!鈥� You get the joy and excitement of seeing that bird for the first time,鈥� Amalavage says.
Asked by a reporter why people respond that way, Amalavage chuckles.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know! I think it's just something. It's our national symbol. And I think just to finally see something like that in the wild 鈥� since they've been so rare over the years 鈥� I think it's still a thrill,鈥� Amalavage says.
As winter winds down, bald eagles across the state will find their own thrills. It鈥檚 , which means eggs and babies. Chicks that will eventually grow up 鈥� and maybe, fly back here.
Where a bunch of fans will be eagerly waiting for them.
If you go
The best eagle viewing tends to be in early winter. The Shepaug Eagle View in Southbury is open for one more weekend for the season on Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17. Bookings .
