Bald eagles are a sight to behold on Virginia’s James River

The majestic bald eagle is making a comeback in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and tourists can see the magnificent birds in their natural habitat by taking a boat tour on the James River.

Capt. Mike Ostrander runs the bald eagle tours year-round on his Discovery Barge II, a 24-foot covered pontoon boat that seats six passengers. He guides tourists to a number of nesting pairs south of Richmond. The Center for Conservation Biology estimates that Virginia’s breeding population of bald eagles is now around 650 pairs, up from under 30 in the late 1970s.

The sightseeing excursion to see the nation’s symbol – the bald eagle graces the Great Seal of the United States – lasts two hours and includes commentary. Bald eagles mate for life and share a nest, which they may continue to construct year after year. Their distinctive white crowns and tail feathers appear around age 4 or 5, and the birds live to around age 30.

Launch sites for this unique boat tour include the Richmond Yacht Basin and Deep Bottom Landing in Henrico County. The cost is $40 per person. The boat tours run from 7 – 9 a.m. and 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on specified dates listed on the “Discover the James” website or can be scheduled by calling Capt. Mike at 804.938.2350.

In addition to bald eagle tours, tourists can book river wildlife tours, a Civil War river tour, and the John Smith water trail as well as fishing trips or fishing instruction.

To see pictures of eagles, visit the article online.

2011 is the “Year of Henricus” as America’s second settlement turns 400

It’s been proclaimed the “Year of Henricus” as America’s second successful English settlement moves into its fifth century.

The year was 1611 when the London Company sent Sir Thomas Dale to Virginia to relocate the colony’s seat from Jamestown to a more secure upriver location. Spain at the time was hostile with England, and Jamestown was located in swampland. So it was that the “Citie of Henricus” was established on a bluff on the James River below the falls of present-day Richmond (pictured here).

It was in the Henricus settlement where private land ownership for common people was first introduced in America, and it was here where Pocahontas made her first English home. The first English hospital was developed at Henricus, and this is where North America’s first college was chartered. Tobacco was established as a cash crop here, becoming the first successful export of what would become the United States of America.

Today there is a living history museum on the site.

400^th Anniversary Commemoration Events

Henricus Historical Park is commemorating the 400^th anniversary in 2011 with a number of events.

On March 26 and 27, the origins of America’s educational system will be highlighted – Henricus College was founded in 1619 – along with the Indian attack led by Chief Powhatan’s brother and successor which destroyed the Citie of Henricus in 1622.

On May 7 and 8, medical care at America’s first hospital – Mount Malady – will be featured with a focus on the workers who were patients there.

Tobacco is the topic on July 23 and 24 with the spotlight on the lives of those who worked the fields, indentured servants and African slaves.

September is the actual 400^th anniversary of the settlement’s establishment, and a hundred living history interpreters from across the nation will be on hand to celebrate it. Dubbed “Public Days and the Godspeed”, it is a special event planned for the 17^th and 18^th.

Henricus Historical Park is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Tuesday through Saturday and is located at 251 Henricus Park Road in Chester, Virginia. There is a fee of $8 for adults and $6 for children 3-12.

http://www.examiner.com/day-trips-in-richmond/2011-is-the-year-of-henricus-as-america-s-2nd-settlement-celebrates-400-yea