The Bald Eagles of the James River Exhibition
April 4, 2012. Dr. Bryan Watts, director of the Center for Conservation Biology (CCB), spoke one of the greatest quotes about the James River bald eagles, summing the efforts of many great organizations. To quote Dr. Watts ... "No other place on the continent illustrates the recovery of the bald eagle population from DDT lows better than the James River."
And now, after months of preparation and coordination, “The Bald Eagles of the James River Exhibition” is set to open this Friday. The traveling exhibit of bald eagle images by 15 photographers is sponsored by Discover the James and will initially open at:
Richmond Camera Gallery
April 6, 2012. 5-8pm
The Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) will receive $40 from each image sold. The CCB has been instrumental in the comeback of bald eagles on the James River. Everyone involved in this project believes it is vitally important to support the CCB and their conservation efforts. For more information on the CCB, click here. All Gallery Wrapped Images are available for sale, with a $295 price.
The opening is bound to be a good time, with lots of wonderful images of the James River's eagles. I hope you find time to make it. --Capt. Mike
The Photos Stories: Top Left: This is an image of the finest bald eagle on the James River, Bandit. This bird has been the star of the River for a few years now and she continues to dazzle. As her story is unfolds, it will soon be time to share her incredible history. --Photo by Bob Schamerhorn
Bottom Right: This is, I believe one of the oldest pairs of eagles in Jefferson's Reach. They have been there for as long as I can remember. Baba & Pops have had at least one chick the last few years. Their nest is easily seen on the Bald Eagle Tour, and it's always a pleasure to see how quickly their chicks grow. --Photo by Lynda Richardson
Persistence Pays Off! "A Fishing Story by Young Richmond Angler, Hayden Kurz"
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Bald Eagle Tour Photographer Spotlight: Otis Sowell
January 18, 2012. One of the best things about working on the river is truly the people I meet. I have met outstanding folks from all over the Commonwealth, and really, all over the U.S.A. What is easy to see is that there are scores of people who care deeply for the James River and preserving its heritage. Caring individuals from all parts, and folks from organizations like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, The James River Association, the Center for Conservation & Biology at William & Mary, Friends of the James River Park and the list goes on ... assure that the future of the James River is looking good. To learn more about the organizations, click the names to link to their website.
Getting back to my favorite part of working the river ... the people ... that is what I love most. You never know when a guest who steps onto the Discovery Barge II will knock your socks off with something they say, or have done, or in this case photograph. Otis Sowell recently stepped onto my boat for his first Eagle Tour and I hope it won't be his last. In early January 2012, he took a series of images of the Duke ... Bandit's new mate. Something about them hit me deep, especially the one to the left. These images knocked my socks off, they are some of the most wonderful images of a bald eagle on the James River.
A little about Otis ... he is a native of Charlottesville and currently lives in Fluvanna County, VA. Fascinated with nature, and especially birds, Otis states, "My favorite bird is the American Robin because it signals the arrival of spring and warm weather." A story he shared was from his childhood. When he was five or six years old, Otis asked his dad how to catch a robin so he could keep it as a pet. His father said, "All you have to do is sprinkle salt on it's tail and it won't fly away." Otis tried to sprinkle salt on a robin's tail just about all day when he realized he was not fast enough and could not get close enough ... no matter how hard he tried. His father kept at him stating, "Keep trying son", who was probably getting the biggest kick out of his son and the robins that day.
In the 1970's when Otis lived in Houston, TX with his wife, Wanda, he began to get serious about photography. Returning to his hometown in Charlottesville in 1980, he began photographing weddings, groups and portraits. He found photographing nature was his true love, and began 'focusing' on all things wild, but 'discovered' wild bird photography gave him the most satisfaction. At the advice of a good friend, "Just use your imagination", Otis took his photography another step further and began exploring deeper and creating images that satisfied his soul. The three images you see in this blog satisfy my soul. Thank you Otis!
To see more of Otis Sowell's work, go to www.OtisSowellPhotography.com
To see his series of Eagle images, click here.
The Photo's Story: Above Left, Middle Right, and Bottom Left: These images are wonderful. They are of an eagle that took the place of another bird in Bandit's life. The Duke became Bandit's new mate at some point in September of 2011. After Hurricane Irene took out the third of Bandit & Smokey's nest something happened and this bird worked it's way into the lives of Bandit & Smokey. Eventually Bandit chose the Duke over Smokey. The last time I saw Smokey was after a magnificent aerial chase and talon locking session between the two former mates ... then Bandit flew downriver towards the 295 Bridge, into the Eastern sunrise. -- All Photos by Otis Sowell
Bald Eagles of Jefferson's Reach: January 1, 2012 vs. January 1, 2011
January 1, 2012. Today is the beginning of the New Year, 2012. I have to say a long morning on the James River, watching bald eagles is a pretty good start. One thing comes to mind after today’s journey on the river. The sheer difference in numbers of eagles this year versus last year in Jefferson’s Reach.
Here is an example of the difference …

Above, Left: Just after Virginia captured that fish, above, an immature bird flew into the area. It would be easy to say it was just a migratory bird, and it may have been. But the way the two mature eagles were acting (Virginia & James), this immature bird could have been one of their chicks from three years ago. Looking at this immature bird, you can see how the head seems to be starting to lighten up as the body is darkening, which is indicative of a bird in the three year, perhaps four year range. Bald Eagles take four to five years to become fully mature with the white head & tail, with dark brown body and wings. --Photo by Lynda Richardson
Eagle Tour Photographer Spotlight: Dave Parrish

Now back to his photography of a particular bird. About two years ago, my wife took a photo of Bandit, the finest bald eagle on the James River. She captured a close, sharp image of the bird’s band, and we were able to get three numbers off the bird’s band. It took more than a year for someone else to start capturing images of the band where numbers were readable … and Dave was that guy. He took the band photography to a new level and was able to read seven of the eight total numbers off Bandit’s band.
The image to the right is one of a series of images taken by Dave that gave us clues to many of the numbers from the band. The key mistake we both made was thinking the number that looks like an obvious '6' in this shot was a '6'. Once we realized it was an '8' (from another photo), that gave us the last number that was needed to find out all about Banidt. And we found out a bunch.
It is with great pleasure that to highlight Dave Parrish’s work on my website. To see more of Dave’s wildlife photography, go to http://daveparrish.zenfolio.com/p1071367295.
The Photos Stories? Top Right: This was a "Photo of the Month" winner for Dave in one of Discover The James' newsletters. It is such a dramatic image that tells a story of a hunting osprey. Here it is flying with a fresh cuaght gizzard shad, probably shifting the catch to a head first position in order to maintain a flight pattern into a tree to begin to eat the head off. --Photo by Dave Parrish
Middle Left: Another great shot. Here an immagure bald eagle tries to grab a shad from the river, but upon close review of the photo, you can see it missed. They get their prey most of the time, but not always. I love the patterns of an immature eagle. No wonder they are the subject of so many artists. --Photo by Dave Parrish
Bottom Right: This is the image that really got the ball rolling for me in the search for Bandit's band numbers. For about a year, I had three numbers 6-2-9. Then Dave started to dial into the band and begin gathering the data needed to find out all about this wonderful bird. Bandit has an incredible story that is worthy of another post on the site ... coming soon. Thanks Dave, Lynda Richardson and Steve Baranoff (the photographers who ended up gathering all the numbers via their photos). --Photo by Dave Parrish