raptors

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By Uh, oh!
There was a fish floating on the water.
The great blue heron made a dash for it.
The bald eagle made a dash too.
The great blue heron decided retreat was the better objective.
Neither bird was happy and neither got the fish.
But doc sure enjoyed the fracas!

By Jordan Lake Neighborhood, 3/16/2017 7 photos

4 year-old bald eagle watching an osprey across the cove

osprey determined to get his fish to his mate

trio of red-breasted mergansers

lead bird is an immature male, called an eclipse phase

second bird is a mature female and the last bird is a mature male

close-up of the mature male red-breasted merganser

the red-breasted merganser trio taking flight

double-crested cormorant resplendent in its green black body and neck, accented by the bronze of its wings

the small trees and tall bushes edging the lake in many areas are full of the sweet calls of the song sparrows

By JL Eagle Nest Reports, 2 photos 03/15/2017
Bald eagles and their growing chicks thrive on cold windy weather.
On the other hand, doc got kinda sorta wind-blown and chilled today –
but that’s ok because the winds blew the limbs aside and gave me a better view of the nest.
Coffee is on the left, hollering something to H.C. whose back is turned toward us.
 
H&G Nest
In the wild winds I only managed to get one chick in view – don’t know if it is Granola or Raisin.
Notice that it is starting to replace its grey fluff with dark feathers around its face.

By Jordan Lake Neighborhood, 7 photos, 03/09/2017

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.

By JL Eagle nest report: First Nest, 5 photos March 7, 2017

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!

By JL Eagle nest report: H&G nest, 2 photos March 7, 2017

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.