Recently I mentioned that I had spotted a pair of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) at a nearby “suburban pond” and realized that readers may have differing ideas of what such an environment looks like. The pond is man-made and serves as a storm water retention pond. A gentleman who lives nearby told me that it is 35 feet deep (1066 cm) at its deepest point. There is a path that goes around the pond, which is bounded by a complex of townhouses on one side, by roads on two sides, and by a wooded area on the final side.
Last week I captured a series of images of an eagle swooping down and pulling what I think was a small fish from that pond. I was a long way off and the focus is not as sharp as I would have liked it, but I think the photos show pretty clearly how close the pond is to a road. You can see some vehicles, traffic signs, and even the signals for a crosswalk. I really like the fact that I can see a pretty good variety of wild creatures in this pond. Initially I thought that there were only ducks and geese there, but I have also seen Great Blue Herons and Double-crested Cormorants, and now even Bald Eagles.
Perhaps you have a similar small body of water where you live. I encourage you to check it out and you may surprised to find a lot of wildlife living there.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Sometimes, you don’t even need a pond. At my new apartment, there were tell-tale white splotches under a live oak near the parking lot. After days of looking, I finally spotted the black-crowned night heron who’s spending his days there. What a nice new neighbor!
With the warming of the globe, bald eagles have moved farther and farther south in past years. As a birder who spent plenty of frigid visits to northern climes in the 1990s, just to get a look at a bald eagle, I find it very exciting that they can be found in the lower 48 so easily now. So I really liked seeing just how suburban your pond is, Mike, and that it has attracted this magnificent species. Wonderful advice too. Of course we fight and press to stop global warming, for obvious reasons, but more bald eagles is nice.
It’s nice to see eagles, which were once common, once again returning to and repopulating many areas, even suburbs!