First view of the third egg was on February 6.

The second egg was laid February 3.

The eagles nesting in Port Tobacco River Park laid their first egg on Thursday, January 31! Our friends at Southern Maryland Audubon Society tell us that bald eagles commonly raise two young and to keep an eye out for another egg on Sunday or Monday. The gestation period is about 35 days, so with any luck we will have chicks in early March! You can watch the eagles live at wildstreaming.com

Meanwhile, over 200 suggestions were submitted to the naming contest sponsored by Charles County Parks and Recreation. The submissions will be reviewed by community partners, including representatives from PTRC and SMAS, and the top five pairs of names will go to public vote during February 6 through 13. The name of the contest winner will be placed on a plaque on the Eagle Observation Deck at the Port Tobacco River Park, and the winner will receive a Charles County Recreation, Parks, and Tourism prize pack.

Bald Eagle lovers of Southern Maryland can now enjoy our very own Bald Eagle nest camera at the Port Tobacco River Park in Charles County. Thank you Charles County Recreation, Parks and Tourism and Terrain360 for this wonderful gift! This pair of Bald Eagles has successfully fledged two eaglets over the last two years that we have monitored the nest. Do you want to help us this year?

Southern Maryland Audubon Society is looking for volunteers be a pair of Eagle Eyes. Your help is needed from late January to early June to watch our camera and catch exciting activity such as egg laying, egg hatching, and other eaglet activity. With your extra eyes, we can save these hallmark events on video for viewing later in the year, after our nest is empty. To sign up, send an email stating you want to become an Eagle Eye volunteer to somdaudubon@yahoo.com.

In the meantime, our pair has already entertained us immensely with “stick wars”. They really seem to argue over where the sticks are placed! So jump in now. You just might catch them in action. Morning hours seem to be best. Egg laying is likely to begin between January 21 and February 10.

Check out our camera on the Charles County Parks website at: https://www.charlescountyparks.com/parks/port-tobacco-river-park-eagle-cam or https://www.wildstreaming.com/

Don’t forget, too, that we need to know about other Bald Eagle nests in Southern Maryland. If you know of a nest, you could become a monitor for it. Check out the Maryland Eagle Nest Monitoring website for information about this program. Once you are on the web page, go to Report a Bald Eagle Nest, where you can view the map of nests we are aware of. If it isn’t on the map, we want to add it and you could be the monitor!

Exciting times are here! Get your Eagle Eyes on and play!

Join us Thursday, December 27, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. for Port Tobacco Green Drinks at the Port Tobacco Restaurant, 7536 Shirley Blvd., Port Tobacco MD 20677. Come learn what PTRC has been up to, make new friends, and just have fun.

 

Click to read the full report.

PTRC Annual Report 2018

Join us Sunday, November 25, at Chapel Point State Park, 8160 Pisces Rd., Port Tobacco MD 20677, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for a new invasive plant control program focusing on English ivy and Japanese honeysuckle. Invasive plants compete for nutrients and space with native plants that provide food and habitat for wildlife.

After entering the park go left where the road forks and park in front of the gate. We will meet you on the other side with bags, gloves, and trowels. Feel free to bring your own favorite tools.

Come out to enjoy the park and help make our river more beautiful.

The eagles must love it too — here they are on their nest Sunday morning in Port Tobacco River Park. If all goes well we will be able to watch them through their upcoming breeding season. They successfully raised two chicks in each of the last two seasons! You can watch the nest at wildstreaming.com

Join the Port Tobacco River Conservancy and Southern Maryland Audubon Society on Thursday, November 15, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at a public program for everyone who wants to learn about the new eagle cam, and especially for anyone who wants to volunteer to be a nest monitor.

Chris Eberly, Director of the Bird Conservation Partnership, will explain why nest monitoring is important and describe the statewide eagle nest monitoring program he leads.

John Snow, Charles County Chief of Parks, will tell us about the support the County is providing for the project.

Ryan Abrahamsen, President of Terrain360, who installed the eagle cam, will describe how it works and how we can capture, record, and post the thrilling events in the life cycle of the nesting eagles during the coming months.

And Lynne Wheeler, President of the Southern Maryland Audubon Society, will explain how you can be a monitor and help capture the moments that will make the eagle cam a wonderful educational experience for everyone in Charles County and beyond.

The program will be held at the Historic Port Tobacco Courthouse, 8430 Commerce St, Port Tobacco MD 20677. Complimentary light refreshments, beer, wine, and soft drinks will be served. The program is free and open to the public.

PTRC members are invited to join local native plant expert Mark Imlay on Saturday, July 14, at 9:30 a.m., for a walk at Port Tobacco River Park, 7685 Chapel Point Rd, Port Tobacco MD 20677. Mark will help us to identify invasive plants in the park and discuss strategies for their control. We will stay on the trails, but dress to protect yourself from poison ivy and insects, and don’t forget to bring drinking water.