Wildlife

Promised Land State Park is known for its bald eagles, which have nested beside Lower Lake since 1999 and raised at least one eaglet every year since 2010. You can watch the nest from the wildlife observation station at the Bear Wallow Boat Launch, from a distance that keeps the birds undisturbed. Black bears are common here too, so campers must lock food away. The park lies within an Audubon Important Bird Area, with warblers, nuthatches and other forest birds in its bogs and woods.

The Bald Eagles of Lower Lake

A pair of bald eagles began visiting in 1995 and built their first nest in a large white pine on Lower Lake in 1999. The first eaglets fledged in 2000. In October 2008, the weight of the nest and a heavy snowstorm brought down both tree and nest while the eagles were away. In early 2009 the pair built a new nest in a maple directly across from the wildlife observation station, and since 2010 they have fledged at least one young each year.

The Nesting Calendar

• Late January to early February: the adults return to the nest.
• Late February to early March: eggs are laid, with about 35 days of incubation.
• Around Earth Day, April 22: the eggs hatch.
• Around July 4: the eaglets fledge.

Before the leaves come out in May you can see the nest with the naked eye from the station, but binoculars or a spotting scope give a much better view. The park office lends binoculars.

Give Them Room

Federal and state law bans camping, fishing, boating, hiking and other activity within 330 feet of a nest. Do not cross the buoy boundary on Lower Lake or go near the nest on land. A flushed eagle burns energy it needs in winter, and an eaglet startled off the nest too early can be hurt or killed. Volunteers watch the nest weekly in season; ask the park office if you would like to join them.

Black Bears

Black bears are common at Promised Land, and DCNR notes that Pike County bears can top 800 pounds. They have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell, and they learn quickly to raid coolers and trash.

• Clean up right after meals and lock all food, coolers, toiletries and scented items in your vehicle.
• Never hang garbage from the lantern post at your campsite.
• Feeding bears is illegal.
• If you meet a bear, do not run. Back away slowly, facing it, without staring it in the eye. If it stays, make noise: a whistle, a car horn or a banged pot.
• Never approach a bear, especially a mother with cubs. Tell a park employee about any problem bear.

Birds

The National Audubon Society counts the park and the surrounding lands as part of the Bruce Lake Natural Area Important Bird Area. In the evergreen bogs, look for Blackburnian warblers and red-breasted nuthatches. In the regrown hardwoods, migrating American redstarts, red-eyed vireos and chestnut-sided warblers pass through. The observation station is also good for waterfowl.

Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles

From the observation station you may see otters, mink and white-tailed deer as well as eagles. In spring, spotted and Jefferson salamanders and wood frogs gather in the bogs and seasonal pools to breed. Timber rattlesnakes live in this rocky habitat; give any snake a wide berth.

Plants Through the Year

Serviceberry flowers white in early May, mountain laurel blooms in mid- to late May, rhododendron in mid-June, and lowbush and highbush blueberries ripen in mid- to late July, feeding bears, birds and people. Take only pictures: removing flowers, feathers or pine cones from park land is illegal.

Do Not Feed the Geese

Feeding Canada geese and other waterfowl at the beaches leaves heavy droppings on the sand and breaks state park rules. See Rules & Regulations.