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By Jordan Lake update, prior to Hurricane Florence 9/13/2018
JL Bald Eagle Nests this morning:
First Nest and H&G Nest looked fine.
Ranger Nest has lost a limb from the side of the nest – we will have to see if the rest of the nest holds through the storm.
I am not surprised that I did not see any of the parent eagles as they are all perched in safe places out of my sight.
I did take a moment to photograph this swallowtail butterfly.
May the butterfly bring a moment of light into all the grey outside our windows.
It will be part of what I call my Palette Series as I have taken artistic license with the beauty of the butterfly.
Stay Safe, whether you are in the storm path or not.
Peace and Grace, Doc Ellen

By JL Neighborhood Roundup, part 1, 6 photos 8/10/2018
I always have so much of Jordan Lake that I want to share!
My emphasis for my media time is usually on the bird life – in particular the raptors.
But by no means do I miss opportunities to photograph the other lives at Jordan Lake.
 
So, this is part 1 for the current catchup: critters without feathers.
 
Meet the official North Carolina Reptile: the Eastern Box Turtle
This beautiful box turtle strolled out from under my truck as I was packing up to leave one morning.
I picked him up and carried him, in the same direction he was headed, to an area in the woods off the edge of the parking lot.
 
 
The Imperial Moth was well-named: this one was wider than my hand. 
 They get to be about 4” across in their wingspan.
 
 
The Sleepy Orange butterfly.
If the photo was of this butterfly with his wings out flat, you would see the “orange” of its name.
 
 
The Swamp Cicada.
This noise maker is an annual cicada: they appear every year.  Some cicada species appear every 13 or 17 years.
I really like its brilliant green wing veins.
 
 
The Deep Yellow Euchlaena moth.
The angles in the wing structure and the curves in the color patterns make an interesting and pleasing contrast.
 
 
Skink tail bling!
Notice that I did not name the specie.
Without a clear photo of the side of the face of a skink, I have no way to know if this is a five-lined skink or an immature broad-headed skink.

By JL Neighborhood, 5 photos 8/23/2017

In between watching eclipses and aerobatic bald eagles, I have kept my eye on other interesting critters …
This is father osprey plowing into the lake for a fish.


A white-tailed buck very calmly glanced my way and then went back to browsing.


Something must have tickled this great blue heron’s toes – he sure made a spectacular leap and didn’t take flight!

It was great fun watching the pileated woodpecker stop his hammering just long enough for me to get his portrait.


The three brassy little skipper butterflies were sharing a button bush blossom.