Port Tobacco River Park Eagle Cam

Port Tobacco River Park is modest in size but it offers huge rewards for nature lovers. There are trails that run from the parking lot to the Port Tobacco River and the village of Port Tobacco itself.  One stands a very good chance of glancing deer, rabbits, foxes, and all manner of waterfowl while traipsing around any of  the three hiking trails in the park.

The real stars of the show are a pair of bald eagles, Chandler & Hope, whose aerie sits high in the branches of the tall trees across the wetlands from the park entrance.  The park features a pavilion that doubles as a learning center and an observation deck fitted with a pair of viewing stations that are oriented toward the nest. An exhibit with information about bald eagles is located near the observation deck, and there is also a plaque introducing visitors to the park’s most famous residents, who were named after Chandler’s Hope, the oldest residence in Charles County, Maryland.

An overhead camera was installed in 2018, putting the nest on permanent display to anyone with an internet connection. While day to day activities can be a bit dry, things tend to heat up during the first quarter of each calendar year.  Each of the past three years has seen the fledging of two eaglets, and as of this writing in February 2021, there are two eggs in the nest due to hatch in March.

While the nest cam is a neat way to keep tabs on the nest, there’s nothing like being at the park and seeing the eagles soar through the skies above their home in the trees, painting shadows across the wetlands below.