Eagles on the River!

October 9, 2020'

An awesome "Bourbon Pompeii" tour today with Kim, Frances and Tracy, their families and loved ones.

Tom at the lock chamber did a great job getting us safely though, and as we passed Buffalo Trace Distillery, the sky could not have been any more blue.

The water was just perfect, and as we rounded the bend known as the Jolly Roger Bend, Captain Allison and myself knew we were in for some surprises that day, as we spooked 5 Great Blue Herons, 2 Egrets and 3 Cormorants. The last two are not even supposed to be here in Kentucky, but the pass through for safety during hurricane season... Laura had just come ashore in Florida that day!

As we passed out some Ale - 8's and Rebecca Ruth bourbon balls, I could not even get back to the helm before Captain Allison leaped. "Bald Eagle," she shouted! He was perched up in the tree on river right, and not far downstream was his mate. What a site, considering in my lifetime the eagle was so rare they had an accurate count of how many were left in the wild in the U.S.

We watched them for about 2 minutes, and as they got tired of us, they flew off down river, I am sure in hopes of finding a fresh fish meal.

It is not often that we see eagles on the river, but we are beginning to see them more. there is currently two nests on the Elkhorn Creek, one that was used last year and hatched two babies. It is located just above the Forks of Elkhorn, technically on the north Fork. The other is currently being built just above the Pfieffer Fish Hatchery. We sincerely hope this pair was in Pool 3 that day scouting out new property for them to build another nest!

Thanks to the families that joined us on the river that magical day. Not sure if it can be replicated, but we are going to try our hardest. Our "Bourbon Pompeii" and "Lock and Dam" Tours are both the ones you want to get on if you want to see wildlife, as Pool 3 has much more since it is less used than Pool 4. these are available every week throughout the summer months.