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Tioga County, Pennsylvania is home to many of our country’s national animal: the bald eagle. But this majestic bird of prey was not always so plentiful. In 1983, only three pairs of bald eagles were nesting within the entire state of Pennsylvania. Of those pairs, only one duo was able to lay any eggs. The others were sterile due to problems with DDT and other pesticides. Later in 1983 the PA Game Commission partnered with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Canadian government to reintroduce bald eagles from Saskatchewan, Canada.

“From 1983 to 1989 they brought back 88 eaglets over that course of seven years,” says Tourism Information Counselor & Army Corps of Engineer Volunteer, Matt West. “In 1988 a male eagle and a female eagle from the Pike county hacking tower nested down in the PA Grand Canyon…they are 36 years old this year.”

According to West, one of the best places to go eagle watching (during the winter months) includes the spillway at Tioga and the connecting channels between the Tioga Reservoir and Hammond lake.

“When there is ice on the lakes, the eagles are going to be where there is open water,” West explains. “There’s always going to be open water there at Tioga spillway.

Another prime location for eagle spotting is Cowanesque Lake near the New York border. “A lot of times you’ll see eagles on the ice there, near open water.”

When traveling to these locations, be sure to dress warmly and follow traffic signs and stay within the designated viewing areas in the parks.