bald eagles of Jordan Lake

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By Jordan Lake Bald Eagle, 10/18/2018
Adult Bald Eagle
 
Being a bald eagle brings certain responsibilities.
Such as making certain that any other eagle of any age or gender 
understands that this is my perch, my tree, my section of the river and the lake.
And, you can tell he means every single nuance of his announcement.

By Jordan Lake Dam, Quarterly Bald Eagle Count, 6 photos 10/14/2018
EAGLES EVERYWHERE!
 
Today was our quarterly count of bald eagles at Jordan Lake.
I don’t yet know the total count from all around the lake.
There was a lot of excitement about how many were being counted.
 
The morning started with this 2 year old almost outshining the rising sun.
 
 
Then this 4 year-old showed up.
He still has some dark feathers in with the white on his face and his tail.
 
 
A pair of 4-year-old eagles came by chasing each other.
Perhaps sizing each other up as potential mates in the coming year.
The female is the top bird and as is usual with bald eagles, she is much the larger bird.
 

 
A grand adult male winged past, his attention on something on the horizon.
 
 
Another two-year-old put in an appearance.
 
 
And an exciting finish to the 1.5 hour count.
The trio are all adult bald eagles.
The upper left is a male.
The lower right: the upside-down eagle is a female saying no way to a much smaller male trying to get her attention.
Both males were probably hoping the female would pair with them, but she eventually sped away from both.

By Jordan Lake Bald Eagle Nests post Hurricane Florence, 3 photos 10/09/2018
All 3 of the Eagle Nests we have been monitoring together are mostly intact.
There is some damage to 2 of the nests.  Please see my notes on each nest as to my best guess for future use.
We will know by the beginning of December if the parents decide to repair the nests.
Now to hope that Hurricane Michael doesn’t cause more damage.
 
First Nest – home of Kate and Petruchio
The surrounding trees and the nest tree appear to have lost some small branches.
I cannot see any major damage to the nest and its tree. 
 Remember, however, that I can only see one side – that is always true.
 
 
H&G Nest – home of Hershey and Godiva
Their nest, its tree and surrounding trees seem to be just as they were before the storm.
 
 
Ranger Nest – home of Mom and Dad Ranger
 
This nest and its tree had the most damage.
There had been a long branch to the left of the nest; it had fallen before the hurricane.
Some of the left edge of the nest appears to have been disrupted.
Some of the smaller branches of the nest tree have also dropped.
There will need to be a lot of repair by the parents and I will be watching closely starting in December to see if the nest will be reused.