immature bald eagle

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By Jordan Lake Neighborhood, 3/16/2017 7 photos

4 year-old bald eagle watching an osprey across the cove

osprey determined to get his fish to his mate

trio of red-breasted mergansers

lead bird is an immature male, called an eclipse phase

second bird is a mature female and the last bird is a mature male

close-up of the mature male red-breasted merganser

the red-breasted merganser trio taking flight

double-crested cormorant resplendent in its green black body and neck, accented by the bronze of its wings

the small trees and tall bushes edging the lake in many areas are full of the sweet calls of the song sparrows

By JL Eagle Nest Reports, 2 photos 03/15/2017
Bald eagles and their growing chicks thrive on cold windy weather.
On the other hand, doc got kinda sorta wind-blown and chilled today –
but that’s ok because the winds blew the limbs aside and gave me a better view of the nest.
Coffee is on the left, hollering something to H.C. whose back is turned toward us.
 
H&G Nest
In the wild winds I only managed to get one chick in view – don’t know if it is Granola or Raisin.
Notice that it is starting to replace its grey fluff with dark feathers around its face.

By JL Eagle nest report: H&G nest, 2 photos March 7, 2017

Godiva is just in front of the nest.
The 1 year old bald eagle to the far upper right made the mistake of flying too close to the nest.
I sure wish I was equipped to be able to show all of you better photos of this nest.
There are only a couple of viewing points that will not disturb the nest –
they are more than 1000 feet across the cove from the nest.

Hershey is bringing in a fish for his chicks.

By Jordan Lake Neighborhood for March 2, 2017, 7 photos

The ospreys have returned from South America – welcome home.

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One year old bald eagle looking fierce in the morning light.

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A very cold eastern bluebird, who like me, was wondering where the warm weather went.

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Great blue heron stalking through the shoreline bushes.

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Belted kingfisher surveying the waters for his next fish.

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The small pied-billed grebe is named after the way the black ring bisects his beak.

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The morning light illuminates this Bonaparte’s gull.

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By JL Eagle Nest Report: First Nest 4 photos, 1 video 02-09-2017
There are 2 chicks in the First Nest!
See the fuzzy light grey head and eye of the chick just to the right of Kate.
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One of the chicks is just to the right of the big limb between it and Kate.
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Kate is holding a big shiny crappie fish.
Look in the area between the fish and Kate’s legs and you can see a chick in the shadows.
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 Way over to the right you see a chick right at the edge of the nest –
I think it is the smallest of the 2 chicks
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Carefully watch directly in front of Kate as she feeds 1 chick.
Then she feeds the second chick which is just past her head to the left.
Both chicks vie for bites of fish.
Video is courtesy of one of the other nest monitors.

By JL Neighborhood Report 1/27/2017

As most of you know, I visit many different places on Jordan Lake.
For the first time in a long while, yesterday I found myself at the dam.
The sun was wintery, and as usual at the dam, the wind was howling and it was cold, cold.
I sat down on the top of the riprap, half way between the dam and the end of the riprap.
Long hours through several years have taught me this:
going any further down river just chases the eagles further away.
Winter seems to stir eagles up and push them all over the lake.
Go to your closest boat ramp and look!
This 2 year old bald eagle appeared over my head and did a couple of what I call “sky jinks”.
He turned himself inside out, all mid-air, and then was gone over the horizon.

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