Jordan Lake: I was driving slowly near an embankment when I heard an osprey screaming. I threw the truck in park and jumped out trying to get my iPhone set to do a video. An adult bald eagle flashed through the trees. Because of the osprey scream, I thought the eagle was probably chasing the other raptor. But, no, the bald eagle was chasing double-crested cormorants. I don’t know if the eagle was after breakfast – they will take cormorants – or as eagles are prone to do, it was harassing the other birds. Not quite a full minute, but, oh boy, is the video full of action.
photography
CategoryJordan Lake Bald Eagle Nest report: LL&H nest
Jordan Lake Bald Eagle Nest report: LL&H nest. It has been quite a while since we have seen the LL&H nest. Wow! Look at the size of that chick!!! I think it is between 8-10 weeks old, but we don’t have a hatch date, so I am guessing. Almost all the eagles, herons, cormorants and ospreys were responding to the heat today by panting like this chick is doing.
Bad Hair Day … Nope …
Jordan Lake: I am always happy when I can share with you how a bird got its name. In this case, you can see the crests that give the double-crested cormorant its name. The feather crests are only visible during breeding season and the eyes turn a very brilliant blue. I must say I was tempted to comment about the cormorant having a bad hair day…
Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute 04/04/2021
Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River, Sunday, April 4, 2021. It is Easter morning. A very frosty Easter morning. The river is murmuring quietly. The lake level is just above normal pool. Our spirits are rising because we are here to greet the day. Take care, be safe. Stay oh so well.
Mind of an Eagle
Jordan Lake: to quote Mike Lemery from his marvelous documentary Pursuit – Eagles of Conowingo Dam, “sometimes you wonder what goes through the mind of an eagle”. I wonder just what this bald eagle was seeing and thinking as she ignored me and Captain Doug as though we had been noted, accepted and then dismissed for we were not food nor enemy. We were but a fleeting moment in the mind of this eagle.
Feathers and Fur
Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River: I was tracking the great blue heron, hoping it would cross in front of the trees with their fresh light green leaves and give me a nicely composed landscape photo. The heron obliged me and did just that. But, when I got home I found that another critter had managed to get photographed too! Have you found the squirrel yet?
