neighdoctor

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By New Year’s Day 2021

Jordan Lake, Haw River, January 1, 2021. It is a grey somber day this morning so I reached back to a brightly lit frosty morning from 2020 as a bridge from the old year to the new. The rising sun of December 20, 2020 shines forth in a time of human troubles to remind us on this New Year’s Day 2021 that the world is full of possibilities for hope, contentment and health. Gather the sunshine glowing here into your depths as a reserve for those times in the coming year when you need a moment of brightness. Peace and Grace, Doc Ellen.

By Attack!

Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River: It was an outright attack. The upper bald eagle, a 3-year-old, attacked the lower eagle, a 4-year-old.  In all the years I have watched bald eagles, I have never seen more than a feather or two pulled loose during an attack, whether the disagreement was over a fish that one of the birds was carrying or during an attempt to raid an eagle nest.  This morning I watched several eagles chasing other eagles, trying to get the eagle with the fish to drop it so the chaser could catch the fish and have a meal it had not caught.  In this sequence, the lower bird did not have a fish, it had simply left its perch and headed towards the river.  I have no idea why the 3-year-old got so angry except to say that all three-year-old bald eagles are brats and at all times seem more on edge than at other stages of life.  The 4-year-old flew off, and I saw it later, back trying to fish and flying well.  Whew! What a cloud of feathers.

By Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute 12/29/2020

Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River. Doc Ellen‘s Natural Minute. The lake level was at 219.42 feet this morning. It was also rather crispy cold this morning. As the wind started to come up after sunrise it got a mite bit nippy. But that did not bother the two eagles that were sitting in the tree above the sunrise this morning. Bald Eagles really enjoy cold windy weather. Hope you enjoy the pair of eagles. Take care, be safe, be well. Stay warm.