Jordan Lake

Category

By turtle rescue and release
My friend and I realized this turtle was not moving through the water.  It was tangled in fishing line, hooks and sinkers.
The turtle couldn’t break free from the tangled mess.
Taking some discarded fishing line, a couple of hooks I found in the trash along the shore line and some sinkers we also found, my friend made a “fishing rig”.
Then he quite expertly hand cast the line past the turtle and hauled the line in with the turtle snagged in his rig.
After wading ashore my friend and I worked the fishing lines off and removed the hooks and weights.
We sat the turtle down at the edge of the water and waited.
The turtle poked his head out and up.  The right front foot reached out and then the left front foot.  Soon followed by the hind feet and tail.
Realizing he was free the turtle scooted into the waves and was gone.  We were glad to see him go!  See the video below the photo for the turtle  release.
turtle rescue

By I was asked if the young hawk was ok…

Here is a closeup of the harassed immature red-tailed hawk from this morning.
He is keeping a sharp eye on the squawking crows – who are just outside of the photo’s edge.
I watched him for close to an hour. He rested at several points but the crows would find him again. He finally yelled at the crows and flew up and over the trees, heading south. The hawk was not in any physical danger – the crows know just how far they can push the envelope. And the gangsters acknowledge the hawk’s ability to turn tail on a dime and strike them, although birds are not the red-tail’s preferred food. The crows also knew that this was an immature bird and that they were in less danger from it than if it had been an experienced mature bird. The hawk was frustrated but not hurt.

red-tailed at rest

By gangster crow…

The gangster crows easily found this immature red-tailed hawk this morning.
I believe this may be a migrating hawk.
He didn’t seem to know the area and didn’t know how to evade the black menaces.
I saw several hawks today: red-tails, red-shoulders, and I believe a broad-winged hawk too.
The changing weather patterns up the northeast are driving the migratory birds south, early this year.red-taileded hawk crow

By eagle fledgling prize

I was out with the Army Corps of Engineers during their part of the annual hydrilla survey.
Hydrilla is a nasty invasive plant in lakes and waterways.
Around the bend came a fledgling eaglet.
He was very concentrated on his prize – a piece of pine bough.
The fledglings of eagles and ospreys both have a habit of doing this.
I am not sure why the urge to pick up and carry – maybe practice for catching fish, maybe for future nest building.
Or, just sheer curiosity on the young one’s part.
When he suddenly saw the boat, the startled eaglet dropped the branch and disappeared over the tree line.

fledlging w pine

By eagle learning experience
There are 2 new eagle photo galleries at the Jordan Lake State Park Visitor Center,
280 State Park Road, Apex, NC 27523.
A great way to learn how to understand what you are seeing when out and about at the lake.
One of the photo series follows the bald eagle from the nest, to fledging and up to and beyond adulthood.
The second series shows a bald eagle catching a fish.
Stop by and sharpen your eye so that you too can enjoy seeing these majestic birds at Jordan Lake.
Godiva head shot

By Godiva

The sheer bulk of Godiva makes the strength showing in her wings all the more impressive.
Like all female bald eagles, Godiva is large, arrogant and owner of her share of the lake.

Godiva