B. Everett Jordan Lake

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By Big Pine Nest has Failed

Jordan Lake. Bald eagle parents Loblolly and Pitch have not returned to the nest since 3/21. The chick has not been seen since 3/14, two weeks after it hatched. At 2 weeks, the chick cannot thermoregulate and must have the warmth of a parent to survive. The parents could no longer tolerate the human and canine intrusions, which when added to other natural stressors led to the chick being lost. The park refused to shut the gate to the shelter area and give the very best possible protection to the bald eagle family. A chick of our National Symbol lost, gone. Human disturbance helped bring this untimely ending to these parent bald eagles’ breeding cycle and sorrow to our hearts. The loss of the chick also meant the failure of our best opportunity to once again have our own bald eagle webcam. The closure of a single gate would have given the greatest possible protection, but the park refused to take that simple step.
My heartfelt thanks both to all of you my wonderfully supportive readers and to the caring people of North Carolina and beyond for your steadfast concern and hopes for the Big Pine Nest family.

Abandoned Big Pine Nest

By H&G nest Chick Wing Wapping!

Jordan Lake. This morning the bald eagle chick in the nest was doing what I call wing wapping. In another words starting to work on all of the muscles, tendons, ligaments in its wings and body. Takes a lot of strengthening to get to the point where the chick can eventually fly. The last photo shows the chick in the nest just behind dad Hershey … I do believe the chick is saying “hey dad did you just see what I was doing?”

Bald Eagle Chick Wing Wapping
Bald Eagle Chick Wing Wapping
Bald Eagle Chick Wing Wapping
Hershey and His Chick

By Seventy-Five!

On March 24, 1947, I came into this world. I once asked my mother what was I like – did I cry or smile – on the day I was born. She laughed and said you came in to the world singing. That revelation is startling: not that I was singing, but, because my mother had lost most of her hearing by the time I was born. I have spent my life in song, however over the last couple of decades, most of the singing has been simply for the ears of the animals that I work with, the birds that I photograph and the trees that I lean against.
I do enjoy singing but it is not the driving force of my life. Although, in a way, I feel I am singing as I satisfy my voracious curiosity and am almost driven to share my discoveries. Perhaps I do sing as I talk about soaring bald eagles, nesting blue birds, pennant dragonflies, American field pansies, ancient red oak trees, companion cats, patient dogs, horses I hug and attempt to heal and oh the smiles and the tears of all my friends.
I was asked a couple of days ago how my GoFundMe campaign was going. The nesting bald eagles have so occupied my time that I had not looked lately. So I pulled up the site and realized the campaign was close to the 3/4 of a century point … a 75, just as I am today. So I thought I would bring each of you up-to-date. There is still a distance to go for there to be enough funding for me to have the new camera and the new lenses. It’s been a year since I had a birthday gift to unwrap. Could you help me further unwrap my gift of singing the song of the birds through my photography and help me to continue to share my birthday gift with the world in brand new photographs? If you’ve already helped, my continuing thank you for your prayers and your funds. Please share this notice. If you’ve not joined in the campaign yet, would you consider doing so and as my mother would say: if it’s your birthday too, happy birthday and if it is not your birthday today then have a very happy un-birthday with me. GoFundMe https://gofund.me/9ba7f009

Doc Ellen 75th Birthday

By Jordan Lake Bald Eagle Nests Report

Jordan Lake Bald Eagle nests update. The lake has been so high that it has not been easy for any of us to monitor the nests. It has been dangerous to try to get boats out to check the nests – today’s photos are both from the shore.


Loblolly at Big Pine nest. The shelter nest is of grave concern to all of us – given the human intrusion the other day and we have not been able to actually see the nest from a boat, we don’t know the status of the chick there. So please hold Loblolly and Pitch and their chick in your heart.

Loblolly

The H&G nest. Their chick is growing! You can see it above the red arrow. The chick is looking to the left.
I sure am going to be glad when the lake gets back down to normal level and we can get out and get better looks at all of the nests all over the lake!

H&G bald eagle chick