Bald Eagles at Pahranagat

by Jim Nelson

​Tis the season!  Red Rock Audubon member Jim Nelson and his wife Andrea recently took a drive up to Pahranagat.  Like many of our members, they make an annual visit to see the bald eagles that gather there this time of year.  Please enjoy Jim's photographs and short write up of their experience.

​We made our annual Eagle Watch visit to Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge this year, and had a busy time photographing eagles.  As you know, Pahranagat is about an hour and a half north of Las Vegas.  With the Covid restrictions, this is an easy/safe visit.  Unfortunately the visitor center was closed.  However, while we were there the restrooms on the upper lake were open and maintained, and a ranger works the area.  In the 3+ hours we visited, we saw only 2 other cars, and all but 2 campsites were vacant.

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The eagle perched photo at the beginning of this article was taken from our car, about 30 feet away.  We hiked the area as well, and the eagles pretty much ignored us and were not disturbed by our presence.  The photos were taken just south of campsite 12, and as we passed through the area several times, we spotted one of two eagles at each passing.

​It is getting toward the end of the season, and they will continue migrating, but at this point they are pretty easy to spot.  Just passing this along for what it is worth...