The winter months have become a great time to visit Onondaga Lake. The primary draw for humans is the wintering Bald Eagles that visit and roost near the lake. The discharge from the wastewater treatment plant keeps a small section of the lake from freezing. This gives eagles an open area for fishing when all other lakes in the area are frozen. This year the lake was frozen for just a few days but the Eagle numbers still swelled and activity was really good.
During the first weekend in March I counted 61 Eagles sitting on the ground and roosting in nearby trees. Because of these big numbers people travel from great distances to see the Eagles. This year I’ve met people from Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Northern Vermont, Pennsylvania and Montreal who traveled to Syracuse to photograph our Eagles.
Certainly the large Bald Eagle population is the big draw for people but other birds visit Onondaga Lake in the winter for the same reasons. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this winter.
