Chatham county

Tag

By Fledgling Bald Eagle

You can hear the wind and see the rock ‘n’ roll of the boat as Captain Doug and I watched this fledgling bald eagle at Jordan Lake. Like all youngsters he was curious about everything that was going on around him.

By Cool Air Stirs Wings

There was enough coolness in the air while Captain Doug and I were cruising the lake that it stirred up the bald eagles. The youngster that is at the top of the first photo is a two year old and it is chasing one of this year’s fledgling. In the second photo that is the same two year old to the left and the same fledgling to the right. They were having a good time chasing each other.

By Mallard???

Mallard??? Nope, not quite! This is a hybrid mallard. I sent the first 2 photos over to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences on their Ask a Naturalist site and asked did they have any ideas what the parentage was. They said they felt that it was mallard x muscovy duck x Graylag goose. Mallards often cross breed with other duck and goose species. My goodness what a mixture. However, quite a gorgeous bird to see. Third photo is a normal mallard so you can see the difference.

By I See You

Crispy weather and brightening sunlight was filled by the game of peek-a-boo-I-see-you between two of several yellow-bellied sapsuckers at Jordan Lake.

By 4-year-old Bald Eagle Plumage

A four-year-old bald eagle, to me, often has very interesting plumage patterns. They are in the process of finally attaining the totally white tail and head and a body cloaked in deepest dark brown feathers that at 5-years of age marks their maturity. Captain Doug and I found this youngster landing as if she owned the whole cove. I’m sure that’s what she thought.