Jordan Lake State Park

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By Jordan Lake Bald Eagle Nests post Hurricane Florence, 3 photos 10/09/2018
All 3 of the Eagle Nests we have been monitoring together are mostly intact.
There is some damage to 2 of the nests.  Please see my notes on each nest as to my best guess for future use.
We will know by the beginning of December if the parents decide to repair the nests.
Now to hope that Hurricane Michael doesn’t cause more damage.
 
First Nest – home of Kate and Petruchio
The surrounding trees and the nest tree appear to have lost some small branches.
I cannot see any major damage to the nest and its tree. 
 Remember, however, that I can only see one side – that is always true.
 
 
H&G Nest – home of Hershey and Godiva
Their nest, its tree and surrounding trees seem to be just as they were before the storm.
 
 
Ranger Nest – home of Mom and Dad Ranger
 
This nest and its tree had the most damage.
There had been a long branch to the left of the nest; it had fallen before the hurricane.
Some of the left edge of the nest appears to have been disrupted.
Some of the smaller branches of the nest tree have also dropped.
There will need to be a lot of repair by the parents and I will be watching closely starting in December to see if the nest will be reused.
 

 

 

By Jordan Lake Dam Birds, 4 photos, 10/07/2018

Jordan Lake Dam Birds

I was sitting on top of the dam this morning thinking that I needed to post some birds for all of you.
I was bemoaning the fact that I didn’t have any decent bald eagles to show you …
and then these two bald eagles flew past.
The top bird is a 4 year old and the lower bird is a 5 year old.
They got to about midway between the Haw River and the New Hope River and they each went a different way.

This bright-eyed falcon is a merlin.
I was surprised to see one this early in the migratory season – I usually see a few about the first of November.

There were so many killdeer swooping and calling at the dam that I thought I was at the beach this morning.

Yep, those are acorns – a total of 4 of them (hard to see the 4th one) – all stuffed in the beak of a fish crow!

By Jordan Lake Dam Critters, 4 photos 10/07/2018
Jordan Dam Critters
 
The monarch butterflies are migrating and this morning at the dam I had more than a dozen flit past me, all heading south.
 
 
The veins are so well defined on the wings of this common buckeye butterfly.
 
 
And, so, when is a butterfly, not a butterfly?
For the answer: study these next two photos…
 
 
When the flying insect is a grasshopper.  How about the elegance in those wings!!

By Jordan Lake Dam birds, 4 photos 10/01/2018
Doing a little catching up with some birds from the last couple of days.
 
I have put the great blue heron first because I think he is asking just why is his lake full of trash.
He can understand in his way the tree trunks and limbs and vines but the trash just bewilders him.
If you zoom in you can all kinds of human debris in the water.  This is at the foot of the Jordan Lake Dam Tower.
 
 
The beautiful adult female bald eagle is searching among the debris for a fish to capture.
 
The 3-year-old eagle has caught a fish in amongst all the debris and trash.
I was startled that I caught so much of the reflection, at the distance I was shooting.
 
 
 
Oh, my a chimney swift!  There were about a dozen of the birds out chasing flying insects.
A life list first for me today.

By Jordan Lake Dam update, 5 photos 09/28/2018
I realized this evening that I have been concentrating on water, water, flooding water everywhere.
So, let’s catch up with some of the other events in the Jordan Lake Dam Neighborhood.
 
While trying to catch the fog lifting above the long leaf pine meadow, a flock of double-crested cormorants graced the rising sun.
 
 
A fledgling bald eagle, one of this year’s babies, seemed to challenge the sun and flew into the east.
 
 
Here is an adult bald eagle, very intent on something way across the main lake, near where the Haw River joins the Middle Creek.
 
 
If her stout beak had not protruded way past the clump of leaves where she perched, I would have missed the female belted kingfisher.
 
 
And then there are the small winged creatures, like this common buckeye butterfly, that try to sense if I am to be avoided or dismissed.

By Jordan Lake Dam, post flooding 09/27/2018
Jordan Lake post flooding:
You are correct: this is not the normal hues of the river water.
I was tweaking the photo to bring out the colors of the great blue heron when I realized that with a tad bit more of “blue” I could show you much better the anger of the waves of the Haw River as it escapes the dam’s tailrace. The tweak also allows you to see the water starting to lap once again over the fishing pier which is where the heron has landed.