West Virginia
On Saturday, November 14, 2009, I saw a pair of bald eagles flying overhead while climbing Ben's Hill, near Trout Pond, WV. It was truly a beautiful and possibly a once in a lifetime sighting in our area.
Bill Kingery
November 9, 2009 4:20 pm
I saw three bald eagles flying up the Kanawha Valley at Winfield.
Douglas Kirk
Really exciting for me because I am an outdoorsman (60 years old) and have been desiring to sight a bald eagle in the wild in West Virginia for years. This afternoon my wife and I was sitting on our front porch (facing East) in Boomer, West Virginia, while listening to my wife talk and talk, I had been observing some rather large birds circling in the distance to the East. We have a large number of buzzards flying and circling around quite often, so I paid very little attention to the birds except to occasionally look in the sky from time to time. Between 3:30 - 3:45 PM, I glanced skyward (South-East) as I had been doing for the past hour, and against the bright blue sky, the sun's bright light shone on one of the birds overhead (South-East) and immediately I realized it was a bald eagle. I said "Wow" and jumped up and run into the house to retrieve my binoculars. And for almost one and half hours off and on I observed the two bald eagles (mostly in the East). Every time either would soar to where the sun would reflect off of it's body, the white head and the white tail feathers just stood out so boldly. Handing the binoculars to one of my neighbors, he too was able to observe one of the eagles as it circled back over the mountain into view and out of view again. My wife could never focus the binoculars to see either of the birds close up as they flew in and out of view. They where really up high most of the time and you could only observe them when they would drop out of the sky. The only time I observed them low was when I originally identified the first eagle with my naked eyes as it flew almost directly overhead. And while observing the the two adults birds, another very large bird, almost the same size as the two bald eagles, soared overhead for about 5 -10 minutes. I was able to get a pretty good look at this bird also. I think this was a juvenile eagle but I can not be certain. However, I do not think it was a buzzard because I could plainly see body shape, the wing pattern and a yellowish color beak. And the buzzards around here do not have yellow beaks. There was no white on this bird any place I could see. However, I could readily observe the yellow to whitest beak on the bird as it circled overhead. This has been a good day for me. Thank you.
Robert L. Peyton Jr.
My wife, son, and I just moved into our new house on the Middle Fork River in Upshur County of Wild Wonderful West Virginia about a year ago. On Tuesday, September 29, 2009 a Bald Eagle flew directly in front of our house. It was eye level to me on my second floor deck and was flying downstream, heading north. Sent chills up my spine! I have an hour commute to work one way where I live, but when I see a sight like that, I know why I chose to live where I do.
Bill Jordan
Driving on Route 50W coming into Bridgeport by Alfred Construction. Saw Eagle coming from right side out of the trees, swooped down in front of my car about 30ft in front and grabbed dead animal off of road and kept going. Coolest thing I've seen in a while. September 28, 2009 @ 8:20am. Bridgeport, WV.
Lori Travelstead
A bald eagle was spotted in Belington, WV (Barbour County) on Saturday September 19, 2009 around 11 am near the Industrial Park area.
Lisa Conniff
Today, around 12:30 p.m. 9/16/09 at the 4 H Camp Road, off of Alternate 10, Cabell County, WV, husband and I spotted a Bald Eagle, circling fairly high, and below it a hawk(could not tell what kind, sun on it)and the hawk was very distressed. 1st Eagle we have ever seen here.
Linda Keefer
I was at Beech for Lake in Lavalette WV on 1-17-09 sightseeing to see if the lake was frozen and saw a bald eagle fly over the parking lot of the marina. I got a good look at him and I am sure it was a bald eagle. I watched it for about ten minutes soar over the mountain and back. It went out of sight. Then on the way out I saw another one soaring on the ridge. I have lived here for 45 years and have never seen any eagles here before so two at once was a real treat!!
Randall Lewis
My husband, two children, and I saw two bald eagles sitting in the water near the bank of the Kanawha River just above the Winfield Locks and Dam. We were driving on Route 35 between Winfield and Frazier's Bottom around 1:00 in the afternoon when we saw them. We pulled over and walked over to the riverbank to get a closer look. We got to see both of them take off and fly across the river where they perched in the same tree with several crows and proceeded to preen themselves! It was amazing! We have seen bald eagles before in captivity, but never in the wild. I didn't even know they could be found in this part of WV!
Christy Schwartz
Winfield, WV
January 3, 2009
Wheeling, WV – Route 2
01/01/2009 – New Years Day
Bald Eagle was circling river bank leaving Wheeling WV on Route 2. Bird was not a full grown adult, but had very distinct Bald Eagle markings (white head and tail, very separate color from rest of body). Was travling in a car, could not stop and take a picture. However, everyone in the car dazed at it for a long time and had no reservation in saying it was a bald eagle.
John Scipio
Ohio county Wheeling, WV, 11-09-08
I have watched two Bald eagles pretty much all summer flying around pike island dam. Today there was a juvenile without the white head in a tree near to where I was fishing by the dam. What a sight there has never been eagles here before.
Tim Dofka
Sighting 11/14/2008 just South of Parkersburg WV.
Returning to work from lunch, just off of the exit ramp of the new Blennerhassett Bridge we saw a Bald Eagle flying over the Southern tip of Blennerhassett island. What a sight!! I have heard of Eagles being in the area in years past, but this was my fist time seeing one. We stopped and watched the Eagle circle above the island for several minutes, until it mades its way North towards Parkersburg.
Vince Ross
This Bald Eagle was sighted in Barbour County (city of Junior) West Virginia on October 29 2008
Charles Lee Ware
I saw a Bald Eagle today while driving down 32 right near Seneca Rocks, West Virginia. There was a creek that ran parallel to the road some distance off to the left as we headed away from Seneca Rocks. Sitting in a tree near the creek, was a stunning Bald Eagle. We did not stop, but all traveling in the car spotted it with ease.
What quiet majesty!
Peggy Boon
Richmond, VA
On January 17, 2008 my husband and I saw and photographed two bald eagles at the Pleasant Creek Wildlife Management area on Tygart Lake. They are the first bald eagles we have ever seen in the wild and were truly beautiful!! One was fishing, and we were able to photograph the eagle catching a fish, swooping up into an ajoining tree to eat. What a sight!!
Tammy Barberio
We were kayaking in Stonewall Jackson Lake at Roanoke WV - Monday Sept. 24, 2007. A Bald Eagle flew over our boats at the Lick Run section of the lake. My very first ever sighting in WV. What a thrill!! Didn't have my camera but probably wouldn't have been quick enough to get the photo. The sun was behind us so it would have been a great shot. It flew in front of us and was quite low so we could see the feathers moving. It was a beautiful day with a few white clouds in the 80s.
Pat Lamp
Last Sunday, March 4th, 2007 a bald eagle took off from a tree on our
land overlooking Cheat Lake (near
Morgantown, WV. and flew within 50 ft. of our house and then circled
back around over our home. I got a picture using my digital
camera of it from underneath. It looked to have about a 7 ft.
wingspan, with clear white head and tail.
Martha Failinger
I spotted two bald eagles in West Virginia, near Morgantown. I was driving over the old iron bridge on route 857 and saw two, with brown heads, sitting on the ice of Cheat Lake. They took off and flew directly over my car towards the newer bridge which crosses Cheat Lake at I-68.
Phil Colebank
Sighting at 1415, 11/24/2006
I just watched a bald eagle fly down the middle of the Kanawha River heading south. I was traveling north on 77 just past the Marmet exit when I saw this chocolate brown bird with a white head and tail. I did not know we were fortunate enough to have these birds in WV!
Emily Uy
Charleston, WV
Spotted my first ever WV bald eagle on a cycling trip along the Greenbrier River Trail on November 10, 2006. The location was between Beard, WV and Burnside, WV on the Greenbrier River. Bird was flying upstream toward Burnside. I have ridden 26 miles of the 77-mile trail which is part of the old Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. Many types of wildlife can be observed along the easily-traversed trail. Cyclists can go through two tunnels and cross many trestles along the scenic ride. Canoeing and kayaking opportunities abound along the Greenbrier. Canoeing and kayaking opportunities abound along the Greenbrier.
John J. Klawitter
Just to let you know, I spotted a bald eagle taking off from a tree on a hillside directly across from Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort in the northern panhandle of WV last week on a beautiful clear Thursday afternoon March, 2006. I have been able to observe them closely on vacation to Maine, and I recognized it immediately with the massive flat wingspan, and white head and tail. It flapped and moved across the hill, and there were turkey vultures flying as well to compare it too. No comparison. It was very exciting to me as this was along the Ohio River, and I have only witnessed one other sighting in the years I've lived here. Courtesy of Martha Randolph
Yesterday evening, my husband and I visited Beech Fork Lake in Lavalette, WV. We decided to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather for February, and went kayaking. My husband noticed a large bird flying our direction and asked what I thought it might be. I assumed it was the usual Great Blue Heron that frequents Beech Fork and we continued to watch it get closer. It finally got close enough that we could cleary see its white head and dark body! We were quite surprised to see this bald eagle and kept watching, hoping it would land or drop in to catch its dinner from the lake. Unfortunately, it had other plans and continued to fly on over the ridge. As far as we know, bald eagle sightings in this area are extremely rare and we felt really lucky to have witnessed this one! Courtesy of Lee Ann Blevins February 4, 2006
Today, January 26, 2006 at 3:30PM, I saw a Bald Eagle perched above the
Kanawha River behind the office I work in. This is the first Bald Eagle
sighting I've had in the Kanawha Valley. It could have been perched there
for several hours before I saw it. However, ten people came out back to
look and we got to see it light from the perch and fly down-stream towards
Poca. Courtesy of Archie Locke
I witnessed my first sighting today of an American Bald Eagle in Wheeling, West Virginia. Wheeling is located in the Northern panhandle of WV in the Upper Ohio River Valley Region in Ohio county. I had never known of bald eagles in this area before until I referenced your site and read of sightings in Parkersburg, WV. Amidst intermittent snow flurries against gray-white bilious clouds, I saw the largest wingspan of any of our local predator birds. I noticed a unique glide and circling pattern uncommon to what I,ve witnessed before. I waited for a closer look and saw the ivory tail and head. This truly was an exhilarating 10 minutes for me, Thank you for your website to allow me to express my experience.
Courtesy of Kelly J. Bell
Wheeling, West Virginia
December 2, 2005 |