Eagle Nest within 700-feet of Route 30
Springettsbury Township section of County Rail Trail
The newly opened 2.5-mile section of the Heritage Rail Trail County Park has become my favorite place to take a walk. This Springettsbury Township section extends from the intersection of Route 30 and Loucks Mill Road north along the east side of the Codorus Creek to Mundis Mill Road; then bridging the Codorus into Manchester Township.
I’ve been on this section of the trail five times in the past week. The first time I walked this section, I saw an eagle catching food down by the creek, then flying into a tree; actually to the nest pictured.
Every walk I stop to admire these eagles for a few minutes. Another walker made the comment, “that nest is within 700-feet of Route 30. The Pennsylvania Game Commission fined a person for getting within 1000-feet of the eagle nest in Codorus State Park; the Game Commission could make a boat load of money fining everybody driving on Route 30.” These urban eagles seem to tolerate all the noise coming from nearby Route 30.
The parking lot at the south end of the new trail section is located on the southwest corner of Route 30 and Loucks Mill Road. The entrance to the parking lot is located off of Loucks Mill Road.
The parking lot at the north end of this new trail section is located in Greg A. Crist Memorial Park, along Emig Road, in Manchester Township. The following photo is a southward view from under a willow tree that overhands the trail, just upstream of Black Bridge.
The bridge carrying the railroad tracks over this section of the Codorus Creek is known as Black Bridge. This bridge will be the subject of a new series of YorksPast posts.
This view looks downstream at Black Bridge, with the rail trail passing under the bridge and the Codorus Creek passing under the bridge at the middle left side of the photo. The rail trail is in Springettsbury Township and Manchester Township is shown on the middle left side of the photo.
Related posts include:
- On the Job at Black Bridge
- How Black Bridge got its Name
- Hike the River Trail between Columbia and Marietta
