Petruchio returning to the First Nest after pushing an osprey back to the east side of the cove.

A beaver on an early morning swim back towards his dam.

This mallard drake was traveling so fast with his hen, that I missed getting her in the photo.

A ring-billed gull with a mouthful of fish fresh caught on the surface of the lake.

Wood duck drake starting to glow with his breeding colors.

In the winter you can find two varieties of kinglets at the lake.

This is a golden-crowned kinglet pouting at me.

Here is the other kinglet.  A ruby-crowned kinglet popping his ruby-crown at me when I startled him.

Each year when the ospreys return to Jordan Lake, territory disputes occur.
The east side of the First Nest Cove belongs, more or less, to the ospreys.
The west side of the cove, more or less, belongs to the bald eagles.
The osprey female initiated this encounter when Petruchio crossed the “line”.
Ultimately Petruchio pushed the osprey back east of the line and for the moment quiet reigned.
I gotta admit I admired the spunk of the much smaller osprey!

Godiva is just in front of the nest.
The 1 year old bald eagle to the far upper right made the mistake of flying too close to the nest.
I sure wish I was equipped to be able to show all of you better photos of this nest.
There are only a couple of viewing points that will not disturb the nest –
they are more than 1000 feet across the cove from the nest.

Hershey is bringing in a fish for his chicks.

The ospreys have returned from South America – welcome home.

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One year old bald eagle looking fierce in the morning light.

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A very cold eastern bluebird, who like me, was wondering where the warm weather went.

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Great blue heron stalking through the shoreline bushes.

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Belted kingfisher surveying the waters for his next fish.

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The small pied-billed grebe is named after the way the black ring bisects his beak.

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The morning light illuminates this Bonaparte’s gull.

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right to left: Kate almost hidden in the branches

one of the chicks is at the nest rim, looking up at his sibling who is standing and wing wapping

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one of the chicks, center of nest rim, looking up at mom Kate

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one of the chicks half standing and you can see he still has some grey hatching fluff on his head

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both chicks are grooming to remove itchy baby feathers as their adult feathers grow in

mom Kate is in the grooming state of mind too