Jordan Lake: this very aristocratic yearling is one of the Gang of Eight. I had been watching the H&G nest, trying to see if eggs had hatched (I was not able to verify that). Then I watched five of the members of the Gang of Eight go streaming past me and most of them went around the corner. This yearling lingered behind.
Jordan Lake: A young bald eagle decided to visit me. It was about 10 minutes after sunrise this morning. The bald eagle gave me the joy of being able to do a video so that I could share the youngster with all of you! Take care, be safe. Stay well!
Jordan Lake: High Rise Nest. First bald eagle CHICK for us to celebrate this season!!! This is a nest that I don’t often get to see unless I am out with Captain Doug. We went drifting by yesterday and lo and behold there was a gray fuzzy chick in the nest with mom. Hooray!
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.
Jordan Lake: Three of the three year olds – actually that’s all of the three olds of the gang of eight – have been pestering the nest this morning. Mom Loblolly finally caught one of them not really being on guard and she chased the 3 year old hard. I hope to put up some of the photos of that chase later. But thought I would share this natural minute of Loblolly after she did the chasing and she’s doing a little bit of grooming. Hope you enjoy the little video. #DocEllensNaturalMinute
Jordan Lake: Mom Loblolly brought a nice-sized fish to a tree for her breakfast yesterday. She ate it in a hurry, keeping a close eye out for any of the Gang of Eight. When Loblolly finished her meal, she did a short skip over to an outer branch of the tree where she was perched. Mom’s head nodded and cocked and I could tell she was looking for a repair stick for the nest. Up in the air Mom went and she did indeed break a fair-sized branch away from the tree. I watched in concern, not that the load was too big for her (it wasn’t), but because instead of making a straight line for the nest, she suddenly veered. At the point where the parking lot at the shelter came into her sight, she dipped a wing, and detoured out more than a 1000 feet before heading much further up the shoreline. Around the northern bend of the shoreline, Mom with her stick turned back towards the nest. Instead of a few wing beats to get to the nest with her stick, Loblolly’s flight was about tripled. I don’t know if it was visitors in the parking lot or possibly one of the Gang of Eight that caused the large detour. Either way I mused on the extra energy Loblolly was expending in an effort to get a stick to the nest for the repair. With all the high gusty winds we have had lately, I would not be surprised if several of the bald eagle nests at Jordan Lake have been in need of repair. I just wish Loblolly wasn’t having to make detours for any reason.
doc ellen's journey 