immature bald eagle

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By Loblolly Was Very Angry…

Jordan Lake: Big Pine Nest. This morning I saw four of the Bandits of the Gang of Eight. In these two photos you see first Mom Loblolly and she was very very angry and upset and yelling. In the second photo you can see why Mom was so upset. In the upper left of the photo is one of the yearlings from the gang and it is circling above her. Right after I took this photo Loblolly took off, still screaming, after the immature bald eagle and they both disappeared up lake. Please note that I added a little bit of blue to the sky so that you can see Loblolly better… I took these photos in between rain showers this morning, about 9 AM, and all of the photos were gray on gray on gray.

Loblolly
Loblolly to the right; intruding 1-year-old at upper left

By Gang of Eight Bandits at Big Pine Nest

Jordan Lake: Over the last couple of days I have observed a new to me bald eagle behavior. I have watched immature bald eagles raid the nests of adult eagles. Those raids have always been a one on one situation. This Gang of Eight Bandits is harassing not only the Big Pine Nest but also the H&G nest. So far, thankfully, I’ve not seen any of the immature bald eagles actually make it into either nest. But I will not be surprised if that does happen. I have watched paired adult eagles tag team when they were catching gulls on the water. I am beginning to wonder if this Gang of Eight Bandits might not try to tag team one or both of the nests. I will keep watching and praying that it is only harassment that occurs. As I have said before, this activity really puts a great deal of strain and stress on the parents at Big Pine Nest because they are dealing with both human and eagle intrusions. I have put the immature photos in no particular sequence other than the most interesting youngster is first. It happens to be the four-year-old – and it is indeed a masked bandit. There are 3 one-year-olds and 1 two-year-old and 3 three-year-olds and the four-year-old that make up the Gang of Eight Bandits.

4-year-old bald eagle
1-year-old bald eagle
2-year-old bald eagle
3-year-old bald eagle
1-year-old bald eagle
3-year-old bald eagle
1-year-old bald eagle
3-year-old bald eagle

By Big Pine Nest: Worry!

Jordan Lake. Doc is getting rather WORRIED. Besides the intrusion of humans, the parents at Big Pine Nest are now having to contend with the intrusion of immature bald eagles. All parent eagles have two or three or more sentinel trees, where they sit so they can watch the nest and watch the surrounding areas. The parents switch between the sentinel points during the day because that’s telling other eagles that inside the area where I am perching, I am staking out my territory: inside this area is MINE and you stay away. Well, with human intruders coming into the parking lot, that has pushed Loblolly and Pitch into using only two out of the three most frequent territory perches that they like. So, I watched as a three year old bald eagle came out from the area of the parking lot at shelter 8 and went fishing. Parent bald eagles do Not allow immature bald eagles to fish in the area immediately in front of their nest. As soon as Dad Pitch realized there was a problem, he turned around and chased the three-year-old eagle back out of the area. So you can see the problem: instead of being able to stake out a territory by using several sentinel trees, the parents are now limited to only two points because of the human intrusions and the immature bald eagles have noted this. I watched a second immature eagle pull this same stunt. This is very dangerous as we all remember what happened over at First Nest when an immature eagle got into the nest and ate the eggs there. I keep calling and sending emails to those who can close the gate. I ask all of you to please continue to go to the petition at https://chng.it/hRtHXdzg9z and sign/share and to call and to send emails to contacts found on https://www.facebook.com/100063040248633/posts/285177876926885/ . Thank you! (photos 1&2 is the 3-year-old bald eagle; photo 3 is Dad Pitch; pink smudge is from branches I was shooting through).

3-year-old bald eagle
3-year-old bald eagle
Dad Pitch

By Do I Really Look Odd?

Jordan Lake: Sometimes I admit that I wish I could read a Bald Eagle‘s mind. For instance, this two-year-old bald eagle, this morning, looked at me as if I were some how or other an odd object on the shoreline. I am certain this youngster has seen humans before! But, I did wonder what she was thinking about…

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 Small Fish Are Slippery!

Jordan Lake: small fish are slippery as this two year old bald eagle was finding out. She caught a fish in the normal way … with her talons. Once up in the air with the fish, the eagle realized that she just might drop it. Watch as the youngster figures out how to take the fish from her feet … in mid—air … only to realize she wanted to put it back between her feet. The young eagle never lost any altitude during all of the maneuvering… that was awesome!