Mom Godiva was up in the nest watching Dad Hershey fishing for breakfast for their chick(s). He flew out of sight and mom was hollering at him. I sure hope he caught a fish soon!
Two 4-year-old bald eagles came up from the Haw River and the chase was on. The lead bald eagle had a rather small fish tucked tight against its tail and the other eagle wanted the fish. Gravity exerted its pull on the fish. The lead eagle lost its grip on the fish. Instantly the sky fishing game was on as the following bald eagle sought to catch the fish … in mid-air. I have seen this happen (eagle on eagle or eagle on osprey) but never gotten even close to the half-way decent photos I captured this morning. My oh my! Aerial dexterity in the extreme. Oh, and did the eagle catch the fish……. the slideshow has the exciting answer!
This youngster had a fish in his right foot and was headed to the safety of the trees to eat it, when a second fish caught his eye. I don’t often see eagles or ospreys go after a second fish while they are already carrying the weight of a first fish. Not to mention the dexterity needed to hold on to one fish while grabbing a second one from the water. This youngster managed to keep both fish and made it into the trees. Pretty neat fishing!
The lake level finally dropped enough for me to get to a place where I could photograph the family. The chicks are about 4 1/2 weeks old.
There are 11 different species in this stroll. Two of the species I don’t often see at Jordan Lake: the winter wren and the rusty blackbird. Enjoy the wandering!