Mom Loblolly is Wet!

By neighdoctor March 9, 2022 Mom Loblolly is Wet!

Jordan Lake: Big Pine Nest. Bald eagles hate getting wet. Being soaking wet really ticks them off. They tend to look towards the heavens and say why didn’t you rain somewhere else? So, this morning I found Mom Loblolly with all of her wings, head and body feathers spread out as she was trying to drip dry. I sure was glad to be able to get back out and check on the Big Pine Nest because the whole Ebenezer Day-Use area had been closed for the last couple of days due to repair work that had to be done on the water system.

Big Pine Nest

By neighdoctor March 5, 2022 Big Pine Nest

Jordan Lake: Big Pine nest. The day was somewhat cool and a little bit breezy but lots of bright sunshine! The first photo is Mom Loblolly. She has something of a coy look, which wouldn’t match her arrogant eagle attitude, however I think she was just watching something down on the shore. The other photo is Dad Pitch keeping his chick or chicks warm!

Big Pine Nest has a HATCH!

By neighdoctor March 2, 2022 Big Pine Nest has a HATCH!

Jordan Lake: At least one egg has HATCHED! We don’t know yet if there is a second egg/chick. That is mom Loblolly reaching down towards the chick. She’s got a bite of fish in her beak. We can’t quite see the chick yet. The next two weeks are extremely critical to this chick because a chick must to be at least two weeks old before it can thermal regulate – in other words it can’t control its own body temperature until then and depends on the parent’s body heat for warmth. So on one hand I am very glad that it is warm today and that the chick won’t get chilled if the parent should be spooked from the nest. On the other hand, and I don’t blame them, there will be more people out at the park because the visitors want to be outdoors in the sunshine. I just pray that the visitors all respect these bald eagles and stay out of the Shelter 8 loop.

NEW Petition for Big Pine Nest

By neighdoctor February 25, 2022 NEW Petition for Big Pine Nest

NEW Petition for Help for Loblolly and Pitch at Big Pine Nest! This is on a different platform and I hope it will bring additional signatures. So, even if you signed the first petition, would you please consider signing the new one too? And sharing this post too? Thank you from Loblolly and Pitch!
New petition is at https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bald-eagles-loblolly-and-pitch-need-help

Dad Pitch on left and Mom Loblolly on right

Big Pine Nest update: Mom Loblolly

By neighdoctor February 12, 2022 Big Pine Nest update: Mom Loblolly

Jordan Lake: Yesterday, late morning, Captain Doug and I were out cruising and checking on bald eagle nests. We went to check the Big Pine Nest and there was Mom Loblolly incubating her egg(s) and we could fully see the upper half of her head and her great big beautiful eye. Captain Doug and I went on about the lake checking out other nests and so we came back by Big Pine Nest early in the afternoon. Now we could barely see the top of Loblolly’s head and could only make out a bit of her eye. The difference in the two photos and why in the first one you can see her eye and in the second photo you have to look hard to see the rim of it? That’s because in the late morning photo there wasn’t any one in the parking lot at the shelter. When we came back by in the early afternoon we could see people standing in the parking lot. Mom Loblolly was definitely keeping tucked down into her nest and as out of sight as possible.

Mom Loblolly Staying As Out of Sight as Possible

Big Pine Nest: Mom Loblolly Chases 3-year-old Bald Eagle

By neighdoctor February 10, 2022 Big Pine Nest: Mom Loblolly Chases 3-year-old Bald Eagle

Jordan Lake: Here is what I caught yesterday of the interaction between Loblolly and the three-year-old gang of eight member. 1st photo: the three-year-old is sitting up in the tree quite proud of itself. 2nd photo: Mom Loblolly is at about Mach 3 heading straight for that three year old. 3rd photo: the three-year-old has realized that he is in danger and in a very wrong place as he turns and is trying to launch. 4th photo: above the pine branch you can see a blurred Mom Loblolly‘s head and below that same branch you can see the tail of the three-year-old. 5th photo: the three-year-old catching its balance on a branch before it leaps out. 6th photo: the scared and fleeing 3-year-old passed me in a hurry. 7th photo: mom Loblolly is heading back up towards the nest area. In yesterday‘s video you can see mom Loblolly enjoying a bit of a rest and some grooming after the ouster of the obnoxious three-year-old bald eagle.