Eagle Watching at Caledon State Park

An eagle in a tree at Caledon State Park

Caledon State Park

Caledon State Park is full with quiet beauty, deep history, and abundant wildlife. Lying along the broad tidal stretch of the Potomac River about 50 miles downstream from Washington, DC, these 2,500 acres of riverside forest are a gathering place for bald eagles from up and down the East Coast.

Caledon was a plantation for centuries after its founding in 1659. Remnants of that era can still be seen in the visitor center, a classic farmhouse built around 1900. The plantation once also served as a busy port that shipped tobacco. But as farming faded, the old fields slowly transformed into an oak and poplar forest. In 1974, Caledon’s owners donated the land to Virginia for conservation.

At that time the bald eagle population had hit rock-bottom across the country. However, a notable stronghold remained around Caledon. Recognizing the importance of the site for eagles, in 1984 Caledon became an official state natural area. The governors of both Virginia and Maryland came together to declare the shoreline and nearshore waters an eagle protection area.

For years the park was maintained in an undeveloped state to preserve the eagle population. Trails were closed during nesting season and camping was prohibited. But, with the support of research, a balance is now being reached that both welcomes visitors and respects the eagles.

July and August is peak eagle watching time at Caledon. In the late summer “there is typically a pulse of hatching-year birds out to the shoreline as they fledge from local nests,” Bryan Watts, director of the Center for Conservation Biology, wrote in an e-mail. These youngsters mix with adults that live there year-round, as well as migratory birds that come up from Florida to spend summers around the Chesapeake Bay. “The other peak time would be December through February, when the birds from the Canadian Maritimes and New England migrate down to the Bay and congregate in areas like Caledon,” Watts said.

For those interested in checking out the eagles and more, the park has a huge variety of activities and programs for all ages. That includes ranger-led kayak excursions on the Potomac, eagle tours, fossil hunts, stargazing, and visits to remarkable ancient trees.