eagles of Jordan Lake

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By eagle family report 5-9-2015: Ice and a Crow

It is bad enough that Brassy, another eagle, chases Ice every chance she gets.
It is probably an additional insult to the fledgling that a small, hopping mad, parent fishing crow also harasses the immature eagle.
The fishing crow and its mate have a nest at the end of the cove where the eagle family lives.
Like all parent birds, these crows don’t like intruders and will, as here, chase even an eagle.
By the way, Ice’s eye is in mid-blink, and is therefore not showing signs of a possible injury.

WALK6942 May 09 2015 10-07-53 New Hope Ice crow

By eagle family report 5-8-2015 Brassy Chases an Osprey

Brassy doesn’t care who she harasses, like this osprey.
All bald eagles will chase an osprey that is carrying a fish.
The eagle crowds or actually bumps the osprey until it drops its fish.
Usually the eagle snatches the falling fish before it hits the water.
Yes, the bald eagle is a thief.
Osprey is up top and Brassy is closing fast from the lower right.

WALK6192 May 08 2015 07-12-34 New Hope Brassy osprey 2

By eagle family report 5-7-2015 Brassy Again

I was enjoying Wynd’s flight about the cove when I saw her look over her shoulder.
I lifted my face from behind my camera and saw Brassy bearing down on the fledgling.
Wynd began screaming for parents, her wings and body and feet trying for more speed.
I briefly saw the flash of a parent past my lens then both Brassy and parent dove into the trees and I lost them.
Wynd headed for the nest on the other side of the cove.
Brassy sure knows how to disrupt a peaceful flight of exploration.
Wynd is the lower bird with Brassy almost on top of her.

WALK5965 May 07 2015 11-03-25 New Hope Brassy Wynd in airhh

By eagle family report 5-5-2015 Victory Song

VIDEO at http://youtu.be/zFaqIllLy8g
NOTE: I decided to leave the audio intact – I wanted you to be able to hear the eagles.
In my excitement I had gotten almost on top of my camera that was recording…so you can hear me and my friend talking about the action – if you would prefer, by all means mute the sound.

In the video:  Ice is the fledgling to the right on the branch and Wynd is in the nest eating. Ice notices the chase first.
You get just a blurred glimpse of Brassy above the scene and then Petruchio below. The rest of the chase is out of sight (the chase from which you have seen photos).
This is the ending sequence.
Petruchio returns first – triumphant that he has chased Brassy away. Kate soon follows – watch her weight spring the limb Petruchio is on.
They both express their excitement with head throws, calls and body quivers. The fledglings are safe.
As ever, Kate gets bossy and pushes Petruchio around. He heads out and Kate is satisfied, for the moment.

In the photo below: left to right: Wynd, Ice, Kate, Petruchio.

WALK3891 Apr 29 2015 12-56-23 New Hope Petruchio victory song 1

By eagle family report 5-4-2015

Eagle Family Report: VIDEO of Brassy attacking Ice is at http://youtu.be/tg2ne8JiKkc
video has a slow motion replay of the attack so you can see the interactions

Yesterday I stood and listened to the screaming alerts of the fledglings as Brassy attacked.
The three year old immature eagle had come from across the cove and went straight as an arrow for the nest.
In the photo: Ice is on the left screaming his terror and defiance and Brassy is the hurtling mass of feathers just above him and to the right.
Ice managed to evade the attack and Brassy actually flew over him and right on across the top of the nest.
For those who like the details, my shutter speed was 1/2500 sec and yet Brassy’s speed still blurred her image.

WALK4727 May 03 2015 08-38-16 N H and Ebenezer Brassy and Ice