The 40th season of the Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory officially opened by FirstLight in late December with a season-opening celebration along the Housatonic River, welcoming community members, wildlife experts, and partners to one of New England’s most renowned winter bald eagle viewing locations.
Representatives in attendance included Andy Brydges, FirstLight’s Director of Community Relations; Lucy Walker, Wildlife Guide and Eagle View Site Manager; Brian Hess, Wildlife Biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; and representatives from Connecticut Audubon, Horizon Wings, and Christine’s Critters.
The Observatory, owned and operated by FirstLight, has welcomed approximately 175,000 visitors over the past four decades. Each winter, bald eagles are drawn to the area because water flowing through FirstLight’s Shepaug Generating Station prevents the river below the dam from freezing, creating ideal feeding conditions and one of the region’s largest seasonal concentrations of bald eagles. Since opening day, visitors have spotted about 40 eagles soaring the skies around the Observatory.
[Credit: FirstLight]
Visitors this season have observed bald eagles perching, soaring, and feeding along the river, while also spotting other bird species commonly seen at the site, including red-tailed hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, goshawks, waterfowl, and great blue herons. Wildlife specialists and trained volunteers have been on hand with spotting scopes to guide attendees and share educational insights.
[Credit: FirstLight]
The Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory will remain open through March 15, 2026. Admission is free, with advance reservations required. Guided viewing with wildlife specialists and volunteers will continue throughout the season.
FirstLight is a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company serving North America. With a diversified portfolio that includes over 1.6 GW of operating renewable energy and energy storage technologies and a development pipeline with 4+ GW of solar, battery, hydro, and onshore and offshore wind projects, FirstLight specializes in hybrid solutions that pair hydroelectric, pumped-hydro storage, utility-scale solar, large-scale battery, and wind assets. The company’s mission is to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid by supporting the development, operation, and integration of renewable energy and storage to meet the world’s growing clean energy needs and deliver an electric system that is clean, reliable, affordable, and equitable. Based in Burlington, MA, with operating offices in Northfield, MA, New Milford, CT, Adrian, PA, Oshawa, ON, and Montréal, QC, FirstLight is a steward of more than 14,000 acres and hundreds of miles of shoreline along some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in North America. FirstLight has been wholly owned by PSP Investments since 2016. To learn more, visit www.firstlight.energy or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.