Jordan Lake. First Nest. An immature bald eagle tried to invade First Nest in hopes of stealing the eggs. Dad Bard was the one incubating the eggs. The youngster – about a three-year-old – came barreling in straight at the nest and realized it had made an error. A very very fast encounter – all of about 30 seconds! Everybody was fine … including the youngster who I saw pop out on the other side of the tree line and go barreling up the lake. Whew!
wild birds
CategoryWinter, Water, Critters

Cold Weather at First Nest
First Nest update… Nope the photo is not of one of the eagles! Yesterday the lake level was still so high that I could not see the nest but I did manage to glimpse one of the parents dashing across the cove and into the tree with the nest and that is good news especially in this cold cold weather. The photo is a little brown-headed nuthatch that was looking at me like “well Doc what are you going to about this cold weather? I have to fluff my feathers all up and you have to bundle all up.” Frigid air indeed.

Quarterly Bald Eagle Count
This morning was the Quarterly Jordan Lake Bald Eagle Count. My group counted 4 bald eagles. The count started at 7 AM. Sunrise was at 7:24AM … I took this photo 15 minutes later. The “real feel temperature” was 27°F. Being in good company, we all chuckled, enjoyed the crispness of the air and the sparkle of the frost and were blessed to see those four eagles. It will be sometime before I know what the total count all over the lake works out to be. Given the flood conditions at a lot of the count sites some people were having trouble getting down to their normal viewing positions. Have a very blessed day and stay warm!

Dad Bard Fidgets
First Nest. Mom Kate had flown in to take her turn in incubating the eggs. Dad Bard had been fidgeting – even while he was incubating – with a stick. So when Mom Kate came in he decided to do something about that stick. It becomes rather comical. Ah the foibles of being parents!
Music is Excusez-moi by Roo Walker.
Egg(S)! Incubation
First Nest. Egg(s)! Incubation! Kate has laid her egg or eggs. She and Bard are sharing the incubation. Hatching will take 30-35 days. Great way to start the new year!
