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THE CONOWINGO DAM PARKING AREA IS NOWOPEN

THE CATWALK AND AREA CLOSE TO THE DAM ARE STILLRESTRICTED

Conowingo Dam Site Guide

by Rick Blom

NOTICE:

Rick Blom passed away on December 11, 2002.(TheConowingo Dam Annotated Checklistis also available.)

( Click on the map to browse )

Conowingo Damis located innortheasternMaryland on theSusquehanna River just northwest of where the river empties into thenorthern part of theChesapeake Bay. It isabout eight milesabove the town of Havre de Grace. If you are looking at a road map, Havre de Grace is where Interstate 95crosses the Susquehanna. The precise location of the dam is where Route 1 crosses theriver. Route 1 crosses the river on top of the dam. Access to the base of the dam, and to

gull and other birdwatching, is from Route 1. Just south of the river, turn east onShuresville Road. After one-half mile, make the first left, onto Shures Landing Road.Follow the road to the parking lot at the base of the dam, where it dead ends. Mostobservation is done from the area closest to the dam at the far end of the parking lot.There is a pavilion there which provides shelter during bad weather. The parking lot isopen every day of the year from at least 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Shuresville LandingRoad is steep and winding and may not be passable immediately after snowstorms but itis quickly cleared because it is the access road for workers at the dam. There are public bathrooms at the pavilion. Just north of the dam, on Route 1, at the junction of Route222, there is a store that has gas, coffee, and sandwiches. At the same intersection thereis a small diner that provides cheap food. It is warm.The primary attractions at the dam are

gulls

and

Bald Eagles

. Conowingo is anelectricity generation plant. When the turbines are running, large intake valves suck water, and fish, through the dam, providing excellent feeding for piscivorous birds. Thegeneration schedule is erratic because the dam is a secondary facility and only generateswhen demand is high. There is some generation almost every day, but on some days it isonly early in the morning and late in the day. There is a fisherman's catwalk across thefront of the dam which is accessible to birdwatchers most days and provides close looksat the feeding birds. On the far side of the dam, where there is no access, there are alarge number of rocks where birds loaf. It requires a scope to see those birds well. Birdsfeeding at the base of the dam during generation are in the air most of the time and areclose enough to be viewed with binoculars.Large numbers of

gulls

and

Bald Eagles

are typically present from mid-October through mid-March. The highest numbers of gulls are present from December throughFebruary. Some gulls and Bald Eagles are present in all seasons. Also present all year arelarge numbers of

Great Blue Herons

, and there is an active heronry in the woods acrossfrom the parking lot. The nests are visible from the viewing area and breeding activitycan be watched throughout the spring and summer. A few pairs of

Black-crownedNight-Herons

have bred on the large island immediately below the dam in recent yearsand they are present year-round. In non-breeding season they tend to congregate duringthe day in the brush and small trees at the south end of the island. Careful searching witha telescope usually results in the discovery of at least some of the birds. Small numbersof other herons are present spring through fall.

Terns

are occasionally numerous inspring and fall. Waterfowl, especially

Common Mergansers

, are fairly numerous inwinter.

Ospreys

attempt to nest on the large transmission towers on the island below thedam.

Bald Eagles

have attempted to nest on the transmission towers on the other side of the river the past several years.

Bald Eagle

numbers vary from a half-dozen in summer to 30-40 in winter. It is notunusual to find 20 in a single scan from November through February. While there arelarger concentrations elsewhere, Conowingo is considered one of the best places east of the Mississippi River to view Bald Eagles because the birds are nearly always present ingood numbers and viewing conditions are excellent. The sun is nearly behind observersall day throughout the year. About one out of three winters a single

Golden Eagle

isfound with the Bald Eagles.

Gulls:

The reason most bird watchers go to Conowingo. Numbers begin to build in November with the influx of

Ring-billed Gulls

. Numbers in some years reach 20,000 by

the end of the month. Until January, Ring-billeds typically outnumber

Herring Gulls

5-10 to one. Following the advent of colder weather in most years, the ratio changes toone-to-one and in some years the preponderance of birds are Herring Gulls by mid-winter. The pattern is largely dependent on how cold a year it is and how much openwater is available to the north of Conowingo. Gull numbers begin to diminish in earlyMarch. Between 100-500

Great Black-backed Gulls

are present throughout the period.The numbers of

Bonaparte's Gulls

is highly irregular in fall. In some years numbers in November and December reach 2500, but in many years no more than 100-200 arefound.

Rarer gulls:

The large concentration has resulted in many rarer species being found.

Lesser Black-backed Gull:

Perhaps should be included in the regular list above.They have been found every year (persistent observations at the dam go back more than14 years) and single-day counts have varied between 1-17. Lesser Black-backed ismissed on fewer than five percent of the days between November and February. All agesare seen annually and first-winter birds are fairly frequent. There is a retaining wall inthe center of the dam and an adult has been seen sitting on the wall almost every day inwinter for at least a decade.

Iceland Gull:

Present almost every winter. The high count is 11. Typically 1-4 arefound. Most are first-winter birds but every age has been seen.

Glaucous Gull:

Present most winters but less numerous and consistent than Iceland.Typically 1-2 are found and the high count is about 5. Almost all are first-winter.

Thayer's Gull:

Present in at least half the years. Most years only one is found butthe seasonal high is three. Most are first-winter or adult.

Slaty-backed Gull:

A gull thought to be a Slaty-backed was seen by several hundredobservers over a two-week period in the winter of 1998-99. Uncertainty exists about therange of variation in the species and although photographs and field notes seem tosupport the identification in many observers eyes, others retain some reservation. It isdifficult to absolutely rule out hybrid origin on the basis of the available evidence.

California Gull:

Found three times in winter. Probably overlooked because closeobservation of sitting birds is more difficult.

Common Gull:

A single first-winter bird of the European race was reported bymultiple observers several winters ago. A second report of a first winter bird, seen and photographed by dozens of people and widely circulated as a Common Gull, is nowthought to be a slightly aberrant Ring-billed Gull. Controversy over the identification of the species in first-winter plumage has created uncertainty about the status of thespecies.

Common Black-headed Gull:

Reported about six times. Records span the winter season.

Little Gull:

Found twice, both adults with large flocks of Bonaparte's Gulls late inthe fall.