Bald eagles once were a rare sight. Designated as America’s national symbol in 1782, their numbers plummeted to near extinction between 1870 and 1970 due to wetland habitat loss, overhunting, and the now-banned pesticide DDT. By 1900, it was believed that no bald eagles were nesting in Indiana.
A Hoosier comeback for the bird of prey occurred in 1985 when the Indiana Nongame & Endangered Wildlife Program launched the Bald Eagle Reintroduction Program. As of 2020, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has recorded more than 350 nests, including three in Vanderburgh County and five in Warrick County.
“I love eagles,” says Diane Ubelhor-Wunderlich, a Newburgh, Indiana, resident who has photographed bald eagles for more than three years. “I just think they’re beautiful birds.”
“It’s exciting to photograph these birds. Eagles are my favorite because they are our national symbol. They’re powerful birds,” says Charles Kiesel, who lives in Fort Branch, Indiana, and drives south to capture images of bald eagles.
Interested in getting your own glimpse? Birders advise that you’ll likely find eagles in their nests near a waterway or lake, though they avoid highly populated areas. Ideal locations include Eagle Slough in Evansville, Wolf Hills Road and Audubon Wetlands Trail in Henderson, Kentucky, Sloughs Wildlife Management Area in Henderson and Union counties in Kentucky, and Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area in Elberfeld, Indiana. A few nests also can be found at Cane Ridge Wildlife Management Area in Princeton, Indiana. Ubelhor-Wunderlich has permission to visit a private property where a nesting pair resides a few minutes from her home in Newburgh.
“I just take my camera and a snack or a small chair,” she says, gearing up with a Nikon D850, a 200-500 mm lens, and a monopod. “You learn a lot about them as you watch. It’s so much fun. I’m like a kid.”
One absolute rule is to stay a football field’s length (about 330 feet) away from any nest, although sometimes a bald eagle flies close to assess your attitude. Kiesel once had a close encounter, sitting in a chair armed with his Nikon D500 and a 150-600 mm lens or Nikon D3300 with a 100-400 mm lens.
“I decided to visit the eagle nest in Henderson, within sight of the twin bridges. … It is a long distance to the nest, approximately 800 feet away. I took a few photos and had just put my camera away, but … I was very surprised to see an eagle sitting on a stick just 60-80 feet from me. What a surprise to see the eagle so close,” says Kiesel, who has photographed the birds for two years. “It’s a challenge; you have to be there at the right time and setting. You can be set up for an hour and a half waiting for something to happen.”
The reward is a moment in nature with one of its most powerful raptors.
“I feel blessed to be able to go watch them,” Ubelhor-Wunderlich says.
Learn more about birdwatching by contacting the Evansville Audubon Society.
