immature eagle

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By Jordan Lake Dam update, 5 photos 09/28/2018
I realized this evening that I have been concentrating on water, water, flooding water everywhere.
So, let’s catch up with some of the other events in the Jordan Lake Dam Neighborhood.
 
While trying to catch the fog lifting above the long leaf pine meadow, a flock of double-crested cormorants graced the rising sun.
 
 
A fledgling bald eagle, one of this year’s babies, seemed to challenge the sun and flew into the east.
 
 
Here is an adult bald eagle, very intent on something way across the main lake, near where the Haw River joins the Middle Creek.
 
 
If her stout beak had not protruded way past the clump of leaves where she perched, I would have missed the female belted kingfisher.
 
 
And then there are the small winged creatures, like this common buckeye butterfly, that try to sense if I am to be avoided or dismissed.

By Jordan Lake Dam, post Hurricane Florence, 1 slideshow 09-19-2018

Jordan Lake Dam this morning, post Hurricane Florence and in the midst of many rivers flooding. Where I could, I provided photos of before and after the storm and the ongoing river flooding. The dam is doing EXACTLY what it was built for: flood control. Without the Jordan Lake dam and reservoir, the flooding downstream would have been even more devastating. My thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers for helping to keep us safe and mitigating the wrath of the hurricane.

 

By JL Bald Eagle Nest report: Ranger nest 3 photos 06/22/2018
Ranger Nest
 
Ah, ha!  This morning the smaller Ranger bald eagle fledgling came flying in, angry and hungry.
 
 
After pausing in the nest and yelling his discontent, he made a short flight hop to a nearby pine tree.
 
 
The fledgling sat there, disgruntled, before soon flying back out in search of a parent.
At this point, the parents bring an occasional fish to the nest with the intent of keeping the fledgling alive but less dependent on them.
They are pushing the fledgling into going fishing on his own.  

By JL Eagle Nest report: Ranger Nest 1 photo, 1 video 06-10-2018
Ranger Nest
The 2nd chick had watched its sibling fledge a couple of days before.
The now emptier nest seemed to spur it to more vigorous wing-wapping and branching.
I watched as it hopped up to the same branch that its smaller sibling had used as a launch point for its first flight.
Suddenly the chick was in the air and I fought to catch up with it way down east of the nest.
Apparently it wasn’t as brave as the other fledgling … it quickly turned around.
With an escort of eastern kingbirds (not happy to find another eagle loose in the air) it returned to the nest.
The fledgling’s landing carried it across the nest.  It jumped to the left perch limb, took a breath and left again.
Took me a  while to find it way, way down the cove.