bald eagle parent

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By Big Pine Bald Eagle Nest

Jordan Lake. I found myself last night going through my photos of Big Pine Nest from this past spring. I came to this photo of the 2 chicks in the nest – it was my first sight of the chicks. I remembered saying to my friend as we gently rocked in his boat from a safe distance offshore, “oh how I pray that the gate out on the road stays closed so that the chicks can continue to thrive and soon fly”. His reply to me was “yes closed, until these babies go safely out into the world and then in about 6 months the parents will repair this nest of theirs and we will get to monitor an entire breeding season”. That conversation haunts me now. Near the end of May 2021, the gate was prematurely opened. In their panic at the sudden sight of people near the nest, the two chicks tried to fly away from the danger. One of those two chicks just barely managed to fledge from the nest and escape the intruders … the other chick disappeared. All of us are working so hard to give Loblolly and Pitch the peace they need to lay eggs this year and raise chicks that fledge safely. Please continue to share the information about the problem at the Big Pine Nest and to question those who can close the gate to the shelter about why the gate is still open. I am certain Loblolly and Pitch are sending you their thanks.

By H&G Bald Eagle Nest update

Jordan Lake. This morning Hershey and Godiva were mating. So it’s not long now before eggs are laid. It is a very delicate dance as Hershey stands on Godiva and balances himself. He is standing on his balled up feet so he will not hurt her with his talons. There was a whole lot of chattering between the two of them.

By Big Pine Bald Eagle Nest

Jordan Lake. This morning I found Mom Loblolly on alert. As I was watching her, she suddenly jerked her head around to her right and leapt off the branch. I quickly lost Loblolly as she went below the tree line. I have no idea what caused her sudden flight. I was not where I could see the parking lot in the shelter area so it may have been a natural intruder such as another bald eagle or a human. Please continue reaching out to every contact you can about the problem at Big Pine Nest and the gate that needs to be closed.

By Big Pine Nest Update

I began to realize as this past week went on, that there were no Nest Lining Materials that were trying to be brought to the nest by Mom Loblolly and Dad Pitch. This is critical because it was telling me that I needed to double check my possible egg laying dates. The nest lining materials are the last materials that go into the nest before Mom Loblolly lays her precious eggs. I was seeing lots of repair sticks trying to get to the nest (and often diverted by human intrusion) but no talons full of clutches of soft grasses. These grass materials, usually scooped from shorelines where the waves have stacked up these soft stems, are used to line the inside of the nest. This lining is then wallowed out and arranged by beak by Mom to make a protective nest bowl for the eggs and for the comfort of the incubating parent. So, over the last day or so, in consultation with the observations of others and their thoughts, the possible egg-laying date has been modified to February 1. Now, that gives us a little extra time to work on getting the gate closed so these parents are no longer harassed. It is always interesting when working with a new nest of only one prior breeding cycle because the parameters are just not really known until you have a couple of breeding seasons to use for data sources – that’s why field notes exist! So breathe a little tiny bit easier with me and let’s continue the CAMPAIGNING to get the gate CLOSED. There is now ADDITIONAL CONTACT information for you to use … it is available on the post for January 8 and the link to the same list with active hyperlinks is at my blog site https://docellensjourney.com/2022/01/08/help-big-pine-bald-eagle-nest-a-dozen-contacts/(opens in a new tab)! 1st photo is Mom Loblolly, 2nd photo is Dad Pitch this morning circling over their nest.

By Update Big Pine Bald Eagle Nest

Big Pine Nest update: The gate is STILL OPEN. In the photo, that is Dad bald eagle once again trying to get a repair stick to his nest and once again having to bolt from the area. Yesterday morning there was a woman, holding a camera, standing inside the shelter building looking at the nest. She was INSIDE the single rope, single saw-horse “barrier” that is supposed to stop people from being exactly where she was. The fact that the woman was inside the “barrier” was through the utter failure of the inadequate planning of those tasked with protecting the bald eagles. Remember that this inadequate “barrier” was approved by the NC Division of State Parks, the Superintendent of the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The only way to protect Big Pine Nest is to CLOSE THE GATE to this area. Please, continue to spread the news about this problem. Please, every chance you get, contact every person who has the fate of the Big Pine Nest in their hands – contact list at the end of this post. BTW, the fact that the woman was inside the “barrier” was there is not a failure on the part of the Rangers at the park. The Rangers’ duties, first and foremost, and rightly so, are to take care of the human visitors to the park and that is a full-time task. My heart is so very grateful to all of you who are pitching in through every way each of you can. Thank you from the parent Bald Eagles of the Big Pine Nest.
Who to Contact:

Superintendent Shederick Mole
919-362-0586 ext.231
email shederick.mole@ncparks.gov

Kathy Capps
Deputy Director of Operations
North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation
Kathy.Capps@ncparks.gov
Office 919.707.9339

John Hammond, US Fish and Wildlife Service
(the US FWS has the legal jurisdiction over this matter)
(919) 856-4520
john_hammond@fws.gov