The Conowingo Dam located on the Susquehanna River in Maryland is believed by many to be the best location for bald eagle observation and photography east of the Mississippi River. In any winter a total of several thousand eagles may come and enjoy the easy fishes sucked in by the turbine of the hydro electric dam and spit out downstream. Once an eagle catches a fish, it is often chased by other eagles nearby, which may result in the eagle being chased drops the fish back into the river. This is the most exciting action the photographers, 30 or even 50 strong on any given day, are hoping to capture. The rain just before my trip increased the water level upstream of the dam significantly. As a result, the flood gate was kept open the whole time I was there. This made the river very turbulent and difficult for the eagles to fish. It also pushed most of the fishes to the far bank of the river, where it is too far even for photographers with much longer lens than mine. Therefore I didn not get any decent chasing shot. There is always next time though. Besides eagles, gulls, black vultures and great blue herons are abundant near the dam.
