Millerton Lake Eagle Boat Tour
Dale Matson
Click On Photographs To Enlarge
Well, the boat tour resumed today after a one-year hiatus because of Covid. There was no Courthouse informational video and we pushed off at 8:30am. We had two deputies, Mike Smith the docent and about fifteen hardy souls aboard.
I refer to it not as the Bald Eagle Tour but the eagle tour because we also see two Golden Eagles on the Madera Side of the lake. My heart is with them since I was able to photograph them raising their two eagle chicks and a Red-Tailed Hawk chick to fledge three years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_d2KGmJAs&t=7s
Today was cold on the lake and although well prepared, most of us still could have brought extra clothes. Mike spotted two resident Bald Eagles near Winchell Point and we immediately headed there. We also spotted two nests near there but the birds are not ready to lay eggs yet. We went by the Golden Eagle area but saw no birds outbound. We stopped for our customary hot chocolate at the floating bathroom where Fine Gold Creek enters the lake. It was comforting to see so much water this year from the early storms in December.
On our way back about 11:30am I spotted a perched Golden Eagle and we stopped to watch both eagles soaring through the trees and above the ridge.
Big thank you to the crew for their patience.
