Jordan Lake State Park

Category

By Jordan Lake Dam update, 5 photos, 09-25-2018
As of this evening, the lake level is down to 232.15, hooray!
Still a long way to go to normal pool level of 216 feet.  All access to the lake except at the dam is still closed.
 
Sunrise in the lifting fog at the dam.
 
 
The foggy landscape cleared just enough for me to take this long shot of an adult eagle heading south over the lake.
 
 
Not long after the adult eagle flew past, a 2-year-old eagle caught my attention as it was heading northward up the lake.
 
 
Looking puzzled, the great blue heron lets us see how turbulent the Haw River has become as it escapes at the higher flow rate the Army Corps of Engineers gave it.
 
 
As I was packing up for the day, I was given a moment of laughter:  this crow zipped past, beak filled with 2 acorns.
 
 

By Jordan Lake Dam, post Hurricane Florence, 1 slideshow 09-19-2018

Jordan Lake Dam this morning, post Hurricane Florence and in the midst of many rivers flooding. Where I could, I provided photos of before and after the storm and the ongoing river flooding. The dam is doing EXACTLY what it was built for: flood control. Without the Jordan Lake dam and reservoir, the flooding downstream would have been even more devastating. My thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers for helping to keep us safe and mitigating the wrath of the hurricane.

 

By Jordan Lake Update post Hurricane Florence 09-18-2018
Jordan Lake Update 09/18/2018
 
While we wait for the waters all around us to go back home and Jordan Lake to reopen,
I thought I would spend some time posting Jordan Lake raptors and birds of all sorts 
and interesting odds and ends that caught my fancy 
but got put aside because of the bald eagle nest reporting.
 
This American crow, the day after Labor Day, flew over my head to a nearby tree.
He was proudly carrying about a third of a donut.
The limb was slippery and the crow tottered on his landing.
I bet you know where his prized donut went!
A crow below him, on the ground, quickly stole the bit of sweetness and headed around the bend.

By Jordan Lake update, prior to Hurricane Florence 9/13/2018
JL Bald Eagle Nests this morning:
First Nest and H&G Nest looked fine.
Ranger Nest has lost a limb from the side of the nest – we will have to see if the rest of the nest holds through the storm.
I am not surprised that I did not see any of the parent eagles as they are all perched in safe places out of my sight.
I did take a moment to photograph this swallowtail butterfly.
May the butterfly bring a moment of light into all the grey outside our windows.
It will be part of what I call my Palette Series as I have taken artistic license with the beauty of the butterfly.
Stay Safe, whether you are in the storm path or not.
Peace and Grace, Doc Ellen

By Puzzled Osprey Fledgling 09/11/2018

I told the fledgling Osprey that there was a big big storm coming. He said,  “how big?” And I said, “so big that the sky was going to be stuffed plum-full edge to edge with wind and rain.” To which he replied, “does that mean that Chicken Little was right and the sky is going to fall?” And he twisted his head around upside down and tried to see all the way up into the heavens.