Haw River

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By Jordan Lake: 2 bald eagle nest reports & 1 ghost

Mom Loblolly at Big Pine nest. I did not see her mate Pitch this morning. Neither did I see an eagle close to the nest or nest tree. I will be checking again tomorrow.

The yellow arrow is pointing at Hershey at H&G nest. He was the one that was doing the incubating this morning. He is much smaller than his mate Godiva. So you have to look hard to see him just above the point of the yellow arrow and snugged up against the main trunk.

It was pretty darn cold this morning. I was startled to see coming up off the edge of the lake, out of the water, an ice cold ghost bald eagle. She was magnificent. I always enjoy it when I get to add to the legends of Jordan Lake! I hope you enjoy this legend too.

By Jordan Lake: 2 Bald Eagle Nests reports


H&G Nest: Mom Godiva laid her egg(s) 01/19/2022! In the photo she is in what we call “incubation posture” – she is snugged down on top of her eggs. Adult and immature bald eagles do well in cold air, but eggs and chicks do not. If Mom Godiva were to leave her eggs uncovered for a few minutes in this weather (at the moment it is 33°F with a windchill of 21°F) the embryos would die. So from now until the eggs hatch and the chicks get past the 2-week-old age point, it is imperative that mom or dad are tight against the eggs for all but a few moments.


Big Pine Nest: That is dad Pitch, way, way down the shoreline from his nest. The photo was taken on Thursday. I did not see Mom Loblolly so I don’t know if eggs have been laid yet.
I sure hope, for all of us, that the sun soon pops out and the roads dry out and become safe for travel.
Please stay warm and safe through the weekend. If you haven’t had a chance to contact those who can close the gate to protect Big Pine Nest and/or to sign the petition, grab a hot cup of coffee or tea, go to https://chng.it/h7Pnj5PQXY petition and https://docellensjourney.com/2022/01/08/help-big-pine-bald-eagle-nest-a-dozen-contacts/ for contacts and take action and help Loblolly and Pitch have a safe haven at their shelter.

By Big Pine Bald Eagle Nest

Jordan Lake. I found myself last night going through my photos of Big Pine Nest from this past spring. I came to this photo of the 2 chicks in the nest – it was my first sight of the chicks. I remembered saying to my friend as we gently rocked in his boat from a safe distance offshore, “oh how I pray that the gate out on the road stays closed so that the chicks can continue to thrive and soon fly”. His reply to me was “yes closed, until these babies go safely out into the world and then in about 6 months the parents will repair this nest of theirs and we will get to monitor an entire breeding season”. That conversation haunts me now. Near the end of May 2021, the gate was prematurely opened. In their panic at the sudden sight of people near the nest, the two chicks tried to fly away from the danger. One of those two chicks just barely managed to fledge from the nest and escape the intruders … the other chick disappeared. All of us are working so hard to give Loblolly and Pitch the peace they need to lay eggs this year and raise chicks that fledge safely. Please continue to share the information about the problem at the Big Pine Nest and to question those who can close the gate to the shelter about why the gate is still open. I am certain Loblolly and Pitch are sending you their thanks.