immature bald eagle

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By Jordan Lake Dam: Bald Eagle Disagreement 01-03-2019
Bald Eagles are ALWAYS out to prove just who is the best, strongest, top-of-the-heap.
Or, in this case, winner of the favored branch for a perch.
The 4-1/2-year-old eagle with its back to you has decided he wants the perch the other eagle has already landed on.  Hah!
 
 
The velocity of the impact and gravity takes effect and the other 4-year-old eagle is knocked off the perch.
 
 
Then the chase is on as the one who started the affair decides he really didn’t want the perch; he just wanted to prove he was the stronger bird.
 
 

By Jordan Lake Dam Bald Eagle landing, 4 photos, 12-29-2018
Gulls suddenly scattered from the surface of the lake in front of the dam tower.
I looked toward the opposite direction of the gulls’ flight.
Sure enough, there was a bald eagle coming across the inlet.
The 3-year-old eagle didn’t bother chasing the gulls.
He crossed in front of me and headed for the tallest tree on the bluff.
Alas, he landed with his back to me, but, oh, he was still a majestic sight.

By Jordan Lake Dam: one of this year’s new bald eagles 12/27/2018
Around from the south end of the lake this youngster appeared.
He was watching something toward the north as he was flying toward the dam.
All of a sudden he realized he was on track to fly right over the two humans sitting on top of the dam.
The 90º turn he made so un-stabilized him that he had to drop his legs to regain balance.
We watched the jink in the air and continued to photograph as the eaglet bolted over the far end of the dam and out of sight.

By Jordan Lake Dam: Bald Eagle Squabble 12-26-2018
Down the Haw River I watched as these two immature bald eagles got into a squabble.
The eagle to the right had just gotten knocked off the branch it was perched on, by an older eagle.
The eagle to the left seemed to resent the disturbance and faced off with the other youngster.
The encounter stayed a bluff on both sides and they both found new perches elsewhere.

By Jordan Lake Dam: 4-year-old Bald Eagle, 12/16/2018
I had been standing on the dam for some time this morning, enjoying the sunshine.
I turned to start back toward my truck when I realized that I was being watched.
The 4-year-old eagle was calmly observing me and I returned the favor.
We spent the next 15 minutes watching each other.  What a joy!
Finally a fish caught his eye and he made a long swoop toward the lake.
He missed the fish, made a swing over the east end of the dam and headed north.

By Jordan Lake Bald Eagle, 3 photos 12-13-2018
I was out checking nests today.  Didn’t see any parent birds.
But, in one of the coves this 2-year-old bald eagle showed up.
He came zooming out of a bend in the cove, made a low pass over the water, but didn’t fish.
With a lot of momentum, he headed for a landing up in a tree.
Oops. He grabbed the branch but hadn’t lost enough speed and couldn’t stick the landing.
My next shot of him was very blurred as he fought to stay on the branch but ended up flying away. I deleted that photo.