H&G nest

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By Mom Godiva and Fledgling Encounter

Jordan Lake, Bald Eagle nest report: H&G nest. I watched as Mom Godiva flew past me with some kind of bird in her talons. She had just gotten past me when I realized there was another eagle trailing her. By time I caught up with the other eagle it had started to land in the nest – almost on top of Godiva. It was one of the fledglings from this year‘s hatching at H&G nest. Mom Godiva was not going to have anything at all to do with the offspring. As you can see she promptly threatened it and said no way are you sharing this bird. The fledgling bailed out. Most parent eagles have finished any supplemental feeding of their offspring by about September. This youngster tried for food and it didn’t work. Please remember, nature is never cruel but she is harsh.

By H&G Bald Eagle Nest update 10/31/2021

Jordan Lake: One of the reasons for keeping field notes is to make sure that the researcher’s memory doesn’t confuse facts… I had thought that Godiva and Hershey were early this year in their nest repair. Hmmm. My notes say they started repair work in mid-October 2019 too!

Mom Godiva piles into the nest with a big branch and Hershey, who had been sitting on the brim of the nest piles out.
Hershey is moving out of the way in a hurry.
You can see the new stick … it is a horizontal branch still in Godiva’s feet.
Only 29 minutes later Godiva was returning with another huge branch for the repair work.

By Early Start

Jordan Lake: H&G Nest. Hershey and Godiva have been very chatty of late. They have also started to repair their nest … and they are a month earlier than usual. I am not at all sure what the early start means! In the 1st photo that is Hershey up top and Godiva down below. The bald eagle in flight is Hershey.

By Eagle 0, Fish 1

Jordan Lake: I was watching Mom Godiva on a speed run up the main lake, heading north. I did not expect her to go fishing. Suddenly she did an almost 270° turn and had her feet in the water before I could catch up with her. As you can see maybe Godiva was a little too hasty in her fishing? That’s a big fish. She didn’t quite get a grip on it and flipped it out behind herself. The fish didn’t mind Godiva’s disappointment. Eagle zero, fish 1.

By Hey Dad, Watch This!

Jordan Lake, Bald Eagle Nest report: H&G NestOne of the chicks at the nest tried hard to impress Dad Hershey. Dad dutifully watched the chick bounce, but quickly went back to doing other nest-keeping chores. The chick is not yet properly branching, when it steps up on the branch to the left of the nest. Soon though, it will be much higher above the nest in proper branching mode.

By Jordan Lake, Bald Eagle Nest report: H&G Nest

Looking left to right: Mom Godiva getting a piece of fish ready to feed to her rapidly growing chicks, a chick right against the main trunk of the tree and then the second chick to the right of the main trunk.

The whole family! That is Dad Hershey perched way to the left, then in the nest it is Mom Godiva, a chick trying to push in and get a bite of food and then the other chick still to the right of the trunk. Great getting to see the whole family all at once. And, it is easy to see in this photo how light brown Dad is … that is how he got his name … after the chocolate bar.