Talk about hyperactive daycare … While out cruising with Captain Doug we found a double-crested cormorant rookery. A rookery is a collection of nests. There are at least four nests that you can see in the video. The parents were feeding their chicks. The parent carries a fish back to the nest within its neck pouch and allows its chick to poke its head into the parent’s throat and pull the fish out. Not the way I would want to feed a youngster but then I don’t have feathers and I’m not a cormorant. Jordan Lake.
Chatham county
TagFirst Nest Fledgling & Mom Kate
Jordan Lake. Captain Doug and I were out on the main lake today – first time since the flooding had occurred. We got to First Nest cove and there was one of this year’s fledglings. Looking like he owned the whole cove. Mom Kate seemed to be happy to ignore her youngster and simply survey the area. Great seeing both mom and offspring! PS some of the Lake’s areas are open… and some are not. If you want to go I suggest calling ahead to make sure the area you want to enter is open.
Osprey Golden Hour
Jordan Lake. This fledgling osprey and his catfish catch certainly show the glory of the morning golden hour. In photography the golden “hour” is the short moment of time just after sunrise or just before sunset when the light is infused with red and gold tones.
Feather for a Thought
Jordan Lake. Single bright white down feather cast into the air as a black vulture preens. Sometimes the only picture of a vulture we carry in our minds is that of a vulture during its meal of carrion. Yet, like bald eagles or African lions who become a mess during a meal, vultures also soon cleanse themselves. I would not want to live in a world without vultures and their necessary task of helping to clean our environment.
Oh! Deer!
Jordan Lake. Let’s step aside from all of the flood information and enjoy for a moment these white-tailed deer bucks. I was sitting on the riprap talking with a brand new friend when he exclaimed oh look there’s some deer. Wow! There the bucks stood, antlers still enclosed in velvet. A rather nice bright aside from all of the flood concerns!
Fog Complicates Things…
OK! Hang in here with me and the fog. The clip shows some of the peculiarities you can run into with fog and a camera. I was at the dam before sunrise this morning. Really wanted to show to all of you the incredible flow of the Haw River and maybe, just maybe a sunrise too. Fog! The river was much warmer than the air above it and so fog was scattered everywhere. Cameras don’t like to try to focus a video through fog. One thing to take a shot of fog hanging in the trees or being still on the lake … another thing totally when you want to track through the fog. Please hang in there with me as I try to show you the fog, the river thundering out of the tailrace and across the fishing pier, and just maybe a snippet of the sunrise. Thanks for putting up with me.
doc ellen's journey 