Yes, those are bald eagles — the national symbols of the United States — frolicking in the ice off Harlem.
Birdwatcher James O’Brien, who has been looking for eagles off the Harlem piers for the past three years, snapped these rare shots at 145th Street and River Bank State Park.
“Usually, eagles don’t come this far south,” said O’Brien, 36. If they do, they’re tough to photograph because “they don’t like to be observed, and if they spot you, they’ll fly off.”
O’Brien said eagles often fly over the city — possibly looking for food on Long Island — but they travel at heights of up to 500 feet, so only pilots see them.