Hawkeyed fans come to watch the eagles on the Delaware River

At the confluence of the Lackawaxen and Delaware Rivers the winter freeze of January and February will often draw eagles to the unique location for food.

Nesting eagles that happen to call the pine trees along the Lackawaxen home visit the intersection of the two rivers to find fish, as do those eagles migrating through the region. Because of the increased activity of the eagles during these months, intrepid photographers also visit, hoping for that perfect shot. 

Paul Leggett, a photographer who is also a volunteer for the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, was at the confluence one Sunday afternoon in February.

“We are educating people about the eagles and the need to keep the water clean,” he said. “If you have clean water and clean property, you’ll have more eagles.”

Shimron Clarke, who is from Greenville, N.Y., had the biggest lens on the block, a 800-mm Nikon S series lens, affixed to a Nikon Z9. He said he gets up close, and when they eagles are coming toward him, it’s even better.

Jonathan Eigen, also a Delaware Conservancy volunteer, said the confluence of the rivers is not only popular with eagle photographers, but with eagle watchers, who can often just walk up to a tree and see one of the nesting pairs.

Because of the extended sub-freezing weather along the Upper Delaware this winter, there was a great deal of ice on the river, and eagles seem to be attracted to it, provided it’s not iced over. Eigen pointed out that if there is too much ice, the eagles will be less attracted to the area because of their inability to fish.

No food, means no eagles.

Bald eagles are one of the largest birds of prey, weighing up to 14 pounds with seven-foot wingspans, and typically mate for life.

Nesting pairs are often spotted along the Lackawaxen River throughout the year, and can even be see in the trees in front of the Zane Grey House in Lackawaxen Township.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, bald eagle watching in the winter often begins in December and lasts until mid-March, when they typically return to their nests.

Areas near the Delaware River, in addition to the Lackawaxen confluence, include marked locations in the Mongaup Valley on the Rio and Mongaup Falls reservoirs (off New York Route 42), and areas around Narrowsburg, N.Y.