photography

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By Sprung!

Jordan Lake, Haw River: The double-crested cormorants had been half-dozing in the somewhat warmer afternoon sunshine.  Then, I swear, someone had to have said: Three…Two…One…Launch and the cormorants went sprung!

By Nares Feathers!

Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River.  Captain Doug and I have been seeing bald eagles of all ages from fledgling through adults with feathers growing from their nares/nostrils. Usually we see a nares feather on one side of the beak or a feather on the other side of the beak. This morning this two-year-old flew past me with a pair of bright white nares feathers. Perfectly crossed across the top of his beak. It’s got to be a genetic trait here at the lake to see it in several bald eagles of all ages.  Sure is neat looking bling!

By First Nest has Egg(s)

Jordan Lake: Good News for the New Year! First Nest has egg(s). Yes! The eggs were laid at some point after December 26.

1) Mom Kate flew over me, heading out to the lake after she and Dad Petruchio had switched places on the eggs – yep, both the female and male bald eagle help with the incubation.

2) Dad Petruchio landing just above the nest to make sure Momma Kate is ok (you can’t see her).

3) Mom Kate in the nest – her head is just above the brim and she is looking out the right side of the nest.  Look for her yellow beak.

4) Both parents at the nest.  Mom Kate is standing up in the nest and her head is to the right – she is rolling eggs.  Dad Petruchio is above the nest, on the left of the main trunk, look for his white head. I apologize for the photos at the nest, but, the weather did not want to co-operate; fog everywhere.

By New Year’s Day 2021

Jordan Lake, Haw River, January 1, 2021. It is a grey somber day this morning so I reached back to a brightly lit frosty morning from 2020 as a bridge from the old year to the new. The rising sun of December 20, 2020 shines forth in a time of human troubles to remind us on this New Year’s Day 2021 that the world is full of possibilities for hope, contentment and health. Gather the sunshine glowing here into your depths as a reserve for those times in the coming year when you need a moment of brightness. Peace and Grace, Doc Ellen.

By Attack!

Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River: It was an outright attack. The upper bald eagle, a 3-year-old, attacked the lower eagle, a 4-year-old.  In all the years I have watched bald eagles, I have never seen more than a feather or two pulled loose during an attack, whether the disagreement was over a fish that one of the birds was carrying or during an attempt to raid an eagle nest.  This morning I watched several eagles chasing other eagles, trying to get the eagle with the fish to drop it so the chaser could catch the fish and have a meal it had not caught.  In this sequence, the lower bird did not have a fish, it had simply left its perch and headed towards the river.  I have no idea why the 3-year-old got so angry except to say that all three-year-old bald eagles are brats and at all times seem more on edge than at other stages of life.  The 4-year-old flew off, and I saw it later, back trying to fish and flying well.  Whew! What a cloud of feathers.