Acorn Bed and Breakfast
EAGLE FESTIVAL 2003
Connecticut River Valley Offers Rare Opportunity to Glimpse Bald Eagle
For nature lovers, the 4nd Annual Connecticut River Eagle Festival is a good stop on your tour of our area. Each winter from January to March, bald eagles from Canada and points north have been returning to the lower Connecticut River Valley. To celebrate the return of these birds, the Connecticut Audubon Society will hold this festival on February 15 & 16 in the quaint village of Essex.
The festival will feature environmental education activities including river and land based eagle viewing tours, lectures, live birds of prey demonstrations, along with Native American presentations, vendor exhibits, music and many other fun events.
Last year, a record number of eagles were spotted on six, two-hour eagle-viewing boat tours offered throughout the weekend on the Connecticut River (reserved tickets are $40 per person and the only activity cost associated with the festival).
Focal points at the Eagle Festival are two large, heated tents filled with interesting environmental information and activities. The main tent, alongside the Connecticut River Museum riverbank location, is the site of lectures and special presentations. The marketplace tent will feature exhibits from environmental organizations, retailers and musical entertainment. Sprinkled throughout the town and identified on the Festival Map will be art exhibits, book signings, bird carving exhibits and other activities. Free shuttle buses will be provided from designated parking lots around town to various festival destinations.
Sponsored by the Connecticut Audubon Society and Select Energy, a Northeast Utilities Company, the festival received the State of Connecticut Governor's Award for Excellence in Travel Promotion for a well-run and unique event that attracted over 5,000 visitors.
A complete Connecticut River Eagle Festival Program Guide listing boating tours, programs and events will be available in November and can be obtained by calling 1-800-714-7201. To find out more about the 2003 festival, visit Connecticut Audubon's website at www.ctaudubon.org.
Other Viewings
Deep River Navigation's Winter Eagle Watch runs on Saturdays from January -March. This 2 1/2 hour Connecticut River cruise in search of bald eagles is guided by naturalists from Connecticut Audubon Society. Please call (860) 526-4954 to arrange your outing. Visit www.deeprivernavigation.com
Sunbeam Fleet Bald Eagle Cruises. Take an excursion on the Sunbeam Express to see bald eagles, February-March. This Bald Eagle watch is a great way to spend a winter Sunday morning. The whole family will enjoy cruising the waters of the Connecticut River or Fishers Island Sound viewing wildlife in its natural habitat. A naturalist will provide information and answer questions. Trips depart from Saybrook Point, Rte. 154. For more information, please call 860-443-7259. Visit www.sunbeamfleet.com.
Eagle Watches on the Connecticut River. Meet at The Audubon Shop, 871 Boston Post Rd., Rte. 1, Madison. Guided search by land to search for wintering eagles on the Connecticut River. Runs every Saturday from January -February . $16 per person, includes soup and sandwich at Oliver's Tavern in Essex. Call 203-245-9056 for more information.
For more information on this and other activities, contact the Connecticut River Valley & Shoreline Visitors Council at (860) 347-0028 or 800-486-3346. Or visit www.cttourism.org
Enjoying Eagles on the Connecticut
By Andrew Griswold, Director of Eco Travel
The best part of doing the eagle cruises, is the look on people's faces when they see their first eagle. I always try to meet the participants at the gang plank as they leave the boat and thank them for coming. By far the overwhelming response is that they want to thank Connecticut Audubon for the inspiring experience and reassure us that they will be returning next year with their friends. Showing people their first eagle is a real treat for me. The glow on everyone's face is like no other.
This last year was certainly a banner year in many respects concerning eagle sightings. With well over 200 encounters in the two month period, we could say it was a great year. The worst day we had was eight different eagles and the best day was 26. What a day that was! Just south of the bridge at Goodspeed Opera House is the Nature Conservancy's Chapman Pond, a magnet for wintering eagles. On. this day in early February, there were as many as 18 eagles in view at once. I never heard so many "oooo's" and "aaaah's' as we did on that day, and some were my own. One of the 26 birds on that day was a golden eagle, not so commonly found in the state, but now becoming a more regular visitor in winter along the lower Connecticut River. In early March we had a wonderful close-up look at an immature golden eagle as it flew alongside the boat for about five minutes, allowing many to compare the their field marks with that of the bald eagle.
Close encounters are not unusual, and the unobstructed views provided by water based tours are by far the best advantage one can have in their search for eagles. More than once, first time cruise leaders recruited by Connecticut Audubon have come to me afterwards to tell me that they had no idea that the trip would be as good as it was. We have seen birds fly up the wake looking for fish exposed by the passing boat, others fly over the boat, and many just sit right on their perches as the boat travels on by. The peacefulness of the river at this time of year, the beauty of the landscape, and the density of these regal birds are equaled nowhere on the east coast. It really can be something of a spiritual experience.The eagles are what we are looking for, but there are numerous winter encounters to be witnessed. Sightings of other birds of prey are common and have included northern goshawk and rough-legged hawk. Common mergansers use the lower Connecticut River as a staging area in early March before their push to more northern climes, their red beaks becoming noticeably more brilliant with the approach of spring. The purely unusual occurs as many can testify when a harbor seal, well up river, made an appearance alongside the boat. You never know what will show-up, making each trip a uniquely special foray into nature.
I can only ellcourage those of you who have not yet been out to see the eagles by boat, to come and discover for yourself how special these expeditionary cruises can be. Over a thousand people experienced the adventure last year, and we know many of them will return.