Jordan Lake. Both of these birds are 2-year-old bald eagles. They are both females. Did the chest/belly of the first eaglet seem to have a LOT of white feathers while the second youngster was mostly dark brown? Ah, the 1st bird is what we call a “white belly” and these are not seen as often as the darker colored birds. One other detail: note the color of the feet. The white belly eaglet has feet that are pale, almost beige (almost all white bellies have pale feet) while the second eaglet has the more usual yellow feet. Adults tend to have brilliant deep yellow/orange feet. Variety!!!

I have thought long and hard about my past injuries and my current arguments with my crabby left arm. As stated in the Go Fund Me story, I need to make a change in my photography equipment. I want to be able to continue many more years of photographing and sharing all of the birds and wildlife at Jordan Lake. Thank you so much for all of your friendships, expressions of encouragement and kindnesses to me through the years.
Peace and Grace
Doc Ellen

https://gofund.me/6643c913

Jordan Lake: Bald Eagles are impressive … even when leaping away … and you get a different point of view. This fledgling glanced down, tilted and did a powerful launch from his perch.

This morning at Jordan Lake Captain Doug and I found this pair of domestic ducks (I think they are Pekin species) on Jordan Lake. The two ducks were not at all afraid of us. Captain Doug’s boat would not allow us to get in close enough to possibly try to pick these ducks up. It is very dangerous for the ducks to be out there at the lake because coyotes and possibly a female bald eagle might consider them for food. They were approximately mile and a half or so down the Haw River south of where Highway 64 crosses over it. If these are your two ducks please contact me and I’ll do my best to explain to you where they are located. They’re beautiful ducks and they need to get back home!

Directions to help locate the ducks:

Very roughly 35.7 N, 79.074 W 

ON LAND:  on the entrance road (gravel) to the Wilderness Island access area (leaves the south end of Seaforth Road), there’s a big clearcut.  There’s a dirt road that runs all along the western edge of that clearcut, from the access road all the way down to the lake shore, at the back of the cove.  That spot on the shoreline is about 80 yards east of where we saw the ducks

Jordan Lake: It looks like this bald eagle tried to put on a formal button down vest this morning and got it on backwards. She is closer to five than four years of age. It appears, in both photos and several others I have from this morning, that those are consistent permanent white dots on those feathers. It is an interesting plumage pattern!