Jordan Lake! Peregrine Falcon!! This speedy bird came off of the Ebenezer Beach area and it was heading south down the lake. I saw it and caught seven rapid fire shots of it. And the bird was gone. It was not even doing its famed 200 mph hunting speed. The falcon was only cruising as it went past. I don’t usually see peregrine falcons at the lake until December. So wondering why this one showed up this early. Sure hope you enjoy the speedster!
Jordan Lake: One never knows what the next bend in the lake’s shoreline will bring to you. This time the bend brought Captain Doug and I into the presence of a merlin! I see a few merlins every winter, but, I have never seen one at Jordan Lake in late April. This small falcon calmly ignored the gawking humans and kept looking for a bird for its next meal.
Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River. The morning was grey and a little chilly. All of a sudden a bright sportster arrived! Our smallest falcon, the American Kestrel. He zipped in, landed for a heartbeat and zipped out over the dam. Whoosh! I worry about the kestrels as their reproductive capacity has dropped in the last 10 years or so, due to herbicides and pesticides. If you should spot one, would you send me notification of date, time, gender and a crossroads? I have been trying to get a sense of how many are still here in NC. I used to see them on the fence lines and power lines on a daily basis … now I am seeing them a couple of times a year.
doc ellen's journey 