2018
January 10: Bald Eagle MN72 spent most of the past week in what appear to be suburban areas near White Plains, Maryland before flying nearly 20 miles south to Newburg. He crossed the three mile-wide Potomac River a single time – briefly touching down in Virginia -- before returning to the Maryland side of the river and his most recently-known location.
January 18: MN72 seems to have found an area with suitable resources in a protected cove near Morgantown, Maryland. This small tidal creek on the Potomac River is less than a mile away from what appears to be an electrical power plant. Colonial Beach, a popular tourist destination on the Virginia-side of the river, lies about six miles to the south.
January 25: Earlier this week, MN72 left the bank of the Potomac River and flew directly across the four mile-wide peninsula, eventually reaching the Wicomico River. After following a number of tidal creeks inland, it appears MN72 has entered the Zekiah Swamp Natural Environment Area – a 21-mile stretch of freshwater streams and small islands managed in part by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
February 8: MN72 has been very active during the past week and is continuing to explore new areas. After leaving the Zekiah Swamp Natural Environment Area and crossing the Potomac, he flew about 15 miles east to his last known location near Fairview Beach, Virginia.
February 16: MN72 is back on the Virginia side of the Potomac this week, and continues to spend most of his time near small inlets and wetland creeks. His most-recently known location appears to be within the borders of Widewater State Park.
March 1: MN72 has crossed the Potomac River a total of 3 times during the past few weeks, and can be seen stopping in at a variety of both urban and undeveloped areas. His most-recently known location is just north of Mallows Bay, Maryland.
March 12: Bald Eagle MN72 has shown quite a bit of movement throughout the past few weeks. Starting near Mallows Bay, Maryland, he flew along the eastern shoreline of the Potomac River until reaching the town of Indian Head. After crossing the Potomac River, he spent a few days within Mason Neck State Park, Virginia – the site of his release in May of 2017 – before heading south. In total, MN72 flew a total of roughly 70 miles!
March 19: MN72 continues to fly significant distances each week, and seems to exploring a little bit farther with each update. During this past week, he flew about 20 miles northwest from the Potomac River and just barely crossed into Fauquier County, VA before moving east again. At Conrad Island, he turned south and flew roughly 10 miles to his most-recently known location near the town of Rison, Maryland – an area he’s been frequenting during the past few months.
March 27: After spending a majority of the past seven days near Marbury, Maryland, MN72 flew north and crossed the Potomac River into Virginia – briefly visiting the site of his release at Mason Neck State Park for the second consecutive week. He crossed the one mile-wide Potomac River once more before arriving at his most-recently known location near Potomac Heights, Maryland.
April 12: MN72 spent the entirety of the past few weeks in Maryland covering relatively little ground. From a protected cove near the town of Indian Head, he followed the eastern shoreline of the Potomac River for roughly 10 miles before retracing his path back to his original starting point.
April 20: During the past week, Bald Eagle MN72 appears to have remained in a smaller area compared to previous updates, and can be seen exploring the many tidal creeks and inlets of Mattawoman Creek in Maryland. This area is directly adjacent to the Mattawoman State Natural Environment Area, a protected area managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
May 7: MN72 seems to have found suitable habitat along the Mattawoman Creek near Potomac Heights, MD. He can be seen making a brief five-mile round trip inland, but otherwise has spent most of his time above the tidal creeks and wetland areas that drain into the Potomac River.
May 16: Compared to previous updates, MN72 remained in a smaller area during the past week -- a little less than two miles in diameter. His most-recently known location is situated about 20 miles south of Washington D.C.
June 11: After leaving Mattawoman Creek, MN72 briefly crossed the Potomac River toward Woodbridge, VA, nearly entering Mason Neck State Park – the site of his release in August 2017. Turning south, he can be seen following the river’s eastern shoreline and eventually arriving in what appears to be Caledon State Park, VA. Coincidentally, MN72’s most recently-known location is approximately 10 miles east of another eagle the Center is currently tracking, Bald Eagle KG09.
June 20: MN72 is on the move! Starting near Caledon State Park, VA, he began flying north during the past week. After traveling nearly 100 miles through Maryland -- the greatest distance covered in a single week since being released in 2017 -- his most-recent location is approximately 15 miles northeast of Baltimore. If he continues on his current trajectory, he may soon cross into Wilmington or Pennsylvania for the first time.
June 26: MN72 continued flying north at a quick pace during the past week, traveling well over 250 miles since his last update. His most-recently known location appears to be above a rural agricultural area in northern Pennsylvania.
July 6: MN72 has officially left the United States! On July 2, he flew across the border into Quebec, Canada – coincidentally, he entered the country less than a mile west of a Canada Border Services Agency checkpoint. During the past 10 days, he’s flown more than 300 miles in a nearly straight path. His most-recently known location appears to be in an agricultural area on the banks of the Saint-François River -- about 150 miles east of Bald Eagle MN18, who also recently traveled to Canada!
July 13: After crossing into Quebec, MN72 seems to have finally stopped for a break. During the past week, he’s remained within an area less than two miles in diameter along the banks of the Saint-François River in close proximity to his previous update. His most-recently known location appears to be directly overhead Plage-Denoncourt (translating to “Beach-Denoncourt” in English); a rural area, but locally known for outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities.
July 19: MN72 seems to have found a suitable habitat along the shoreline of the Saint-François River near Plage-Denoncourt; during the past week he’s remained within an area a little less than two miles in diameter. Despite having traveled such a long distance from his original release site, the GPS transmitter appears to be in adequate range to communicate with servers on a regular basis.
July 27: After several weeks of relatively little movement, MN72 can be seen exploring a greater area throughout the past week. From Plage-Denoncourt, he flew about 20 miles to the southwest before circling back and continuing past his point of origin. His most-recently known location appears to be at the headwaters of the Saint-François River, near the seven mile-wide Saint-Pierre Lake.
August 3: MN72 spent the entirety of the past week in what appears to be a shallow cove along the shoreline of Saint-Pierre Lake. His GPS transmitter seems to be functioning well, and is communicating with servers several times each day. A number of small boats can be seen in the satellite imagery near MN72’s current location, suggesting the area may be a popular fishing and recreational destination.
August 15: Similarly to his previous update, MN72 hasn’t roamed far from the one mile-wide peninsula near the Saint-François River tributary. Inspecting the satellite imagery more closely – taken during July of 2017 -- it appears to be completely inaccessible by paved roadways. The nearest man-made structure seems to be a small house about two miles southeast of the eagle’s most recently-known location.
August 24: Once more, MN72 remained within one or two miles of his most-recently observed location on Saint-Pierre Lake during the past week. On August 19 – exactly one year after returning to the wild in 2017 – he was around 575 miles from his original release site in Virginia!
September 5: MN72 hasn’t roamed far during the past week, but seems to be exploring the area a little bit more compared to previous updates. Despite a high-level of activity, MN72 remained within an area roughly one mile in diameter.
September 14: It’s been another week on the bank of the Saint-François River in southern Quebec, Canada for MN72. Despite being hundreds of miles from his original release site, MN72’s GPS transmitter is functioning quite well – on average, the unit is recording between 80 and 100 new location data points each day.
September 21: Bald Eagle MN72 hasn’t flown far during the past week, remaining within an area less than one mile in diameter from his previous update.
September 27: MN72 seems to be exploring his surroundings a bit more during the past week. After crossing the Saint-François River, he flew about two miles south before heading east towards what appears to be a small camp ground and marina.
October 5: Aside from crossing the Saint-François River a number of times during the past week, MN72 hasn't flown far from his usual one-mile wide area.
October 12: Similarly to previous updates, MN72 didn’t fly too far from his last-known location. After exploring about three miles of shoreline to the west of the Saint-François River, he turned back toward his familiar territory.
October 25: For the first time in nearly two months, MN72 has left the Saint-François River tributary and appears to be on the move. After flying about 14 miles to the southwest, his most recently-known location is about four miles from the city of Sorel, Quebec, which marks the geographical end point of the Lake Champlain Valley.
November 7: MN72 has covered a tremendous amount of distance during the past week and a half! On October 25 he began flying south, departing from the familiar lake-side area near Montreal, Canada. Less than 24 hours later, he had officially crossed the border into Vermont; on October 31, his GPS transmitter placed him within the Adirondack Mountains in New York state. He arrived at his current location on November 5 – totaling in a journey of more than 250 miles in just 12 days! Interestingly, MN72’s return to the United States closely resemble the movements and locations of another Bald Eagle the Center is currently tracking, MN18. MN72’s most recently-known position seems to be near a man-made body of water near the town of Breakabeen, NY.
November 27: MN72 has continued to show impressive stamina during the past few weeks. It took just five days for MN72 to fly from central New York to Wilmington, Delaware – a distance spanning more than 150 miles. Continuing southward, he crossed the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Maryland on November 20. Astonishingly, it seems that MN72 has been traveling with a specific destination in mind; on November 24, he arrived at Potomac Heights, Maryland! MN72 first visited this area in August 2017 -- just three weeks after being released in Virginia – and remained in the region for about ten months. MN72 has completed a momentous journey to Quebec, Canada and back, covering more than 1,300 miles in the process. Be sure to regularly check his tracking updates in the coming months to see where he ends up next!
December 4: After arriving in Maryland last week, MN72 appears to be settling in to the familiar Potomac Heights area. He flew about eight miles inland during the past week, over what seems to be a largely agricultural and rural area, before returning to the eastern shoreline of the Potomac River where he’s been most-recently located.
December 11: During the past week, MN72 can be seen exploring a much larger area compared to his previous update. From the Potomac Heights, MD area, he crossed the Potomac River and officially entered Virginia about two miles north from the town of Quantico. Following the contours of the Potomac River’s western shoreline, he flew approximately 10 miles northward and spent a brief amount of time circling Mason Neck State Park – the site of his original release more than a year ago! MN72 appears to be following the Occoquan River inland, and was most-recently located near the suburban area of Lake Ridge, VA.
December 18: After reaching the Potomac River near Woodbridge, VA early last week, MN72 began flying south. This eagle doesn’t seem to mind moving through urban spaces, as he can be seen flying directly overhead Dale City en route to the Quantico area. After crossing the Potomac River and entering Maryland, he continued to fly for about ten miles before reaching his most recently known location in Charles County.
December 28: It looks like MN72 will spend the final days of 2018 in Charles County, Maryland. He flew about 50 miles during the past ten days, and was last seen on the outskirts of what appears to be an agricultural field near the community of Pisgah.
