Suddenly Kate flung herself out of the nest. I couldn’t see a reason for her sudden leap.
I watched as she struggled against the gusting winds. Her head and body at an abnormal flight angle.
She regained the nest by jumping a limb that had fallen into the nest.
I think the falling limb had startled her badly enough for her to have momentarily left her chick(s).
Yes, I said chick(s) for it/they have hatched!
Everybody seems to be ok, whew!
Fish for breakfast for Kate in 4 quick steps:
1) Kate sees Petruchio catching a fish and starts hollering for her food.
2) Petruchio flies into the nest from behind Kate,
flies over her back and drops the fish.
3) He pauses for a split second at the rim of the nest.
4) He is off again for more food.
time elapsed: 17 seconds
yesterday my friend and I were bundled top to bottom
wondering out loud why the heck we were at the water’s edge
wind dropping the temperature way below comfortable
when this eagle appeared
oblivious to the cold, only thought: fish
I hope you get a chance this Saturday to come and meet me at Jordan Lake
information about the opening of the Eagle Education display is at
http://www.ncparks.gov/jordan-lake-state-recreation-area/events-and-programs/meet-the-photograper
this is where the flight through the trees,
posted yesterday, found its target
the eagle caught his fish and I got the moment in the second photo
for such a large bird, the bald eagle can suddenly appear –
flight determined and through the upper branches of the trees
This is Petruchio, who is the mate to Kate, and he is fishing to provide her with food.
He will provide her with fish while she is patiently keeping their eggs warm and safe.
Kate began incubating her eggs on January 16, 2016.
If all goes well, the chicks should hatch about February 20.
I have been following this Jordan Lake pair of bald eagles since they built their nest in 2012.
I will continue to update their activities for you and for the Army Corps of Engineers’ eagle monitoring project.
You can find past stories about this pair and their offspring
in this blog.
doc ellen's journey 