Jordan Lake: Osprey Skipping!

By neighdoctor October 10, 2019 Jordan Lake: Osprey Skipping!

Osprey’s often get rather messy down their chests when they are eating their fish. One way that an osprey can quickly clean his front is to skip across the water, chest parallel to the surface, and at very high speed scrape clean his front, lickety-split. All ospreys do this – but you have to recognize the difference in the dive as they head for a cleaning session if you want to try to catch the action. This fledgling skipped 5 times before going aloft.

Jordan Lake: Sunrise Bald Eagle Fledgling

By neighdoctor October 8, 2019 Jordan Lake: Sunrise Bald Eagle Fledgling

Against the sunrise softness flows the stiff shine of feathers and the sharpness of beak and talons. Purpose relentlessly driving the 7-8 month old fledgling toward another day of fishing. And, I hope, a day closer to making it through that most dangerous year of life for a bald eagle: its first year of tasting the wind. Fly youngster, fly!

Jordan Lake: Bald Eagle Fledgling Fishing

By neighdoctor October 6, 2019 Jordan Lake: Bald Eagle Fledgling Fishing

This youngster had his eye on the fish and successfully caught his mid-morning snack.

Jordan Lake: Bald Eagles; Godiva Challenges Hershey

By neighdoctor October 4, 2019 Jordan Lake: Bald Eagles; Godiva Challenges Hershey

Godiva was speeding down the lake when she suddenly pulled up vertical. Her mate Hershey was headed her way, also in a hurry. Godiva decided to challenge Hershey, possibly to a death spiral, but he wasn’t in any mood for the high stakes aerial. Hershey streaked over Godiva. Godiva was so mad she about stalled out of the air in her turn around to chase her mate. They both were quickly out of my sight.

Jordan Lake: Practice!

By neighdoctor October 1, 2019 Jordan Lake: Practice!

While on the Haw River above the main lake, a friend and I watched a pair of immature bald eagles practicing the maneuver known as a death spiral. I managed to get one of the talon to talon grabs that the youngsters were practicing; when they get really good at this skill they lock both feet to both feet. This is a critical skill for a bald eagle to learn as it is part of the breeding behavior of a potential breeding pair of bald eagles. The upper bird is a 4-year-old and the lower bird is a 3-year-old.