The lake continues to flood its shoreline. But the sibling bald eagle fledglings Coffee and HC don’t mind. They were having too much fun first harrassing an osprey and when the smaller bird left the playing field, the two eaglets started chasing each other. Coffee is the bigger of the two fledglings and is already much more agile in flight than HC – note that it is her flying sideways and almost upside down. In flight the easiest way to know who is whom, Coffee has the ragged tail!
raptors
CategoryJL Neighborhood and Eagle nest report post all the rain! 6 photos
First Nest’s neighborhood in the aftermath of all the rain
That is mom Kate on the lower branch and dad Petruchio on the upper one of a tall pine at the edge of their cove.
As the surrounding areas have drained, Jordan Lake is doing what it was created to do: control flooding.
In September 1945 the Homestead hurricane came up the coast from Florida and flooded eastern North Carolina.
Cities on the Cape Fear River were severely impacted by flooding. The state of NC set out to control any future flooding.
The Haw River and the New Hope River were dammed by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake filled by 1983.
During rain events, as the lake fills with waters from further inland and the rains above, the lake spreads out and floods it’s shoreline.
Better the shoreline gets flooded and not the downstream cities and towns.
Once enough drainage has occurred east and south of us, the Army Corps will open the gates of the dam and begin letting the extra water out.
Coffee is grumpy! Nothing about the lake looks right to her at all, but both she and HC are within sight of their parents.
The red arrow is pointing at where I was standing, against the trunk of the tree, yesterday afternoon about 3:30 PM.
As you can see the lake has traveled well in land (probably 30+ feet) – I took this photo today at about 9:30 AM.
BTW the mirror reflection makes my eyes cross when I look at it!
This tiny least sandpiper has walked down about 4 feet on one of the concrete ramps where he reached water.
Normally he would have had about 4 times that much walkway.
Notice all the debris that is already washing up against the ramp.
This pair of critters seem very happy for the extra living room…
How can there be a day at the lake without a squirrel stretched out at a full run past the top of one of the flooding ramps?!
JL Eagle nest report: H&G nest 04-25-2017
By early afternoon the rains of the past few days had finally stopped.
Almost everybody began drying out!
I watched Hershey come flying in and start to groom.
Up in the nest, Granola on the left was stretching while Raisin watched.
JL Eagle Nest report: First Nest, 5 photos 04-24-2017
Today there has been rain and rain and rain and lots of wind.
The 2 fledglings at First Nest loved the weather and so did dad Petruchio
Coffee in upper right, HC in lower left
HC upper and Coffee lower eaglet
Coffee upper left, HC lower right
Coffee upper left diving on HC in the lower right
dad Petruchio upper right, Coffee lower left
JL Eagle Nest report: First Nest both chicks have Fledged! 04-19-2017
Laugh along with me as I watch HC get frustrated with the gusty winds.
Mom and Coffee watch him trying to get the landing right.
Then Coffee takes to the skies and gets bounced too!
video is at https://youtu.be/UHyOglH_35c
in the photo that is Coffee leaving the nest
JL Eagle Nest report, H&G nest Great News! April 18, 2017
I want to share with all of you the wonderful results of a conversation I had today with Mr. Gordon Myers, Director of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. He has been thinking about not only our concerns about the bald eagles of Jordan Lake and prescribed burns, but other’s concerns about the lake’s large ecosystem. Mr. Myers felt the time had come when a study group composed of the concerned entities and citizens who love, enjoy and cherish Jordan Lake and its gamelands needed to get together. Mr. Myers asked me if I would join this group: to help start a journey toward balancing the needs of the trees and the eagles, the waters and the turtles, the forest and the deer, the meadows and butterflies.
I resoundingly said yes. Mr. Myers is putting all prescribed burns in blocks with bald eagle nests on hold for more than the two weeks delay we had been asking for. He wants input from the very diverse set of interests he is asking to join the study so decisions about things like prescribed burns can be made in concert and agreement. Thank you, Mr. Myers.
That is Hershey landing this morning in front of the H&G nest. Just behind his head you can see the beak of Granola. To the left and looking owlish is Raisin.
doc ellen's journey 