B Everett Jordan Lake Dam

Tag

By Uh Oh and its First Thing in the Morning

Jordan Lake, Haw River 16 minutes after the sun rose … I was tracking a male osprey as he came in over the dam and almost disappeared down into the shadows of the riprap and the sudden glare of the sun. I watched the osprey flare and snatch his fish and then the quiet morning exploded in osprey shrieks and great blue heron gronks. A large light grey shadow was closing in on the osprey. I don’t know if the heron had had an eye on the same fish as the osprey or that the heron took exception to the osprey disturbing his morning fishing. The osprey fled the river with his fish and out over the dam and the heron grumbled his way back to the riprap shoreline.

By Cloud Bear Sun Ball Game

Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River, Monday, August 10, 2020.  There was quite a game of sun ball at the lake this morning.  The Cloud Bears got rather full of themselves and the sun ball escaped over the fence.  Dad Cloud Bear caught the ball and I snapped a photo just as he was tossing the globe back onto the field.  My twelve-year-old heart enjoyed the game … and I hope you do to!

By Big Catch!

Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River, Friday, August 7, 2020.  The Haw River within the riprap was full of striped bass.  The ospreys were feasting!  This male osprey made quite a large catch.  To my eye it seemed that there was as much fish as there was bird as the osprey flew past.

By Flexible!

Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River: As a veterinarian, I have a lively interest in anatomy.  An owl can do a 270° head turn without hurting themselves.  Most birds can get between 180° and about 200° rotation.  I think some birds are just more flexible than others … especially the raptors.  This is a fledgling black vulture, this morning at the dam, doing close to the 270° head turn of an owl.  The series starts at the upper left and goes clockwise.  The photo with the red border is the furthest reach of the turn.  Quite a flexible neck!

By Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute 06/01/2020

Jordan Lake Dam and Haw River, Monday, June 1, 2020. The roar this morning is the Haw River – no turbines – just the river seeking release. This morning not only are all of our human hearts sore but the river joins in our chorus. And yet, we can still see hear the song birds singing. May we take their notes of greeting to the morning into our hearts and meet this day with hope. Greet the beginning of this week, the start of a new month with open hearts and a willingness to listen to each other and to work towards the solutions that are of equality for all of us. Take care, be safe, be well.