UPDATE – All the gates at the dam are closed.  There is no entry to the tailrace.  The only open boat ramps are at Ebenezer, New Hope Overlook, Seaforth and Robeson Creek – and those are subject to close at any moment.  So, I am working on a plan to use my archives of previously unpublished photos and minute videos at Jordan Lake for a daily sharing with each of you.  Please stay tuned as by Monday I hope to have that plan in effect – you will see the heading “Jordan Lake Neighborhood” on those postings.  In the meantime, take this spark from the sunrise at the dam and know it holds the promise that we will get through this, together.  Peace and Grace, Doc Ellen

 

I was trying to choose my photos for tonight’s posting and stopped searching when I got to this Carolina chickadee from this morning.  I paused and looked at the softness of the almost spring in the pinks of the redbud tree blossoms and the elegant contrast of the small bird’s black and white plumage.  Thought: we could all do with a quiet moment in these days of stress.  So, take a minute and just be, just be with the little chickadee as he too paused in his day.  Peace and Grace, Doc Ellen

The great blue herons are sorting out where the best fishing spots are within the riprap.  The heron on the left is a juvenile, hatched last year.  The heron on the far right is an adult and I think it is a female.  The middle heron, who’s priority is evident while he eats and ignores the sparring of the other two, is a mature male great blue heron.  The juvenile is using his crown feathers in a raised display, hoping to get the smaller heron to back off.  It didn’t work.  Right as I got to the end of the sequence, a 4th (unseen great blue heron) dove into the middle of the other three and they all scattered.

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!