Dad Ranger somehow gets soaking wet.
Mom Ranger gets very upset.
Ranger Osprey dad takes on both eagles!
ospreys of Jordan Lake
TagJL Raptor report: Ranger Nest 7 photos 05-04-2018
Ranger Nest:
An unknown fledgling flew over the Ranger nest.
Interestingly enough, neither parent bird saw this foreign youngster as a threat.
Mom Ranger had been preening when something way down the cove caught her attention and she dashed off to investigate.
My human eyes could not see what had caused the eagle to take flight.
Both Ranger chicks – note how shiny black the baby’s beak is – this is normal for this age.
That is dad Osprey, from the neighborhood, flying above the eagle nest.
He certainly caught the attention of both bald eagle chicks!
The osprey is an annoyance but not a threat to the eagle chicks.
Mom Ranger is staring down at a red-headed woodpecker that had landed about 20 feet below her.
I couldn’t get both birds in the photograph.
As the day got hotter, the chicks instinctively panted and dropped their wings to get better airflow around their bodies.
This 4-year-old bald eagle is a threat and grave danger to the Ranger chicks.
Both Ranger parents came screaming in to protect their chicks.
The juvenile bald eagle ignored everybody and calmly flew across the cove and out of sight.
JL Neighborhood 8 photos 4-30-2018
My ramble in the Jordan Lake Neighborhood!
Ranger Mom and the Osprey
Had a disagreement: Uh oh. The osprey started it. Dove on the bald eagle several times.
Eagle yelled but didn’t go anywhere. Having thumbed its beak at the bigger raptor the osprey flew back to its nest.
Eagle went back to glaring at the world.
Female hooded merganser – they always have a bad hair day.
Carolina chickadee – do you see the legs of his breakfast insect hanging out each side of his beak?
Solitary sandpiper. These are usually found in our coastal areas. There was a pair of them visiting the Ranger eagle nest cove.
Rusty blackbird. This is the first one I have seen at Jordan Lake. I usually find them on the Outer Banks.
Wood duck drake. Isn’t his eye a startling color! This is normal for an adult male.
A pair of snowy egrets were escorted across the cove by a red-winged blackbird.
An immature male summer tanager. A summer visitor. When he matures he will be feathered in solid orange plumage.
JL Raptor report: Osprey nest 1 photo, 1 video 04-19-2018
Dad and Mom osprey have about finished their nest.
It is considerably more substantial than when you last saw it!
Both ospreys bring in sticks and nest bowl material.
They also bring in pinecones – ospreys like to decorate their nests!
This is Dad osprey in the photo.
Dad osprey has a bright white chest. Mom osprey has a beautiful wide necklace.
JL Neighborhood: new Osprey nest under construction 1 photo, 1 video 4/6/2018
JL Neighborhood: Slight Detour…
There is a new osprey nest being built in one of the coves at Jordan Lake. I wanted to share with you Dad Osprey’s work on the nest. Both parents help build the nest. This morning I caught dad hard at work. Keep in mind that each stick that is in that nest was brought to the top of the snag by the ospreys – some of the sticks are large and branched. Dad brings in sticks, rearranges them, gets frustrated but stays at work.
JL Eagle Nest Report: Ranger Nest, 2 photos 3/30/2018
Mom Ranger and her two chicks were waiting for some fish.
Then mom Ranger saw an osprey flying in with a fish for its mate.
Mom Ranger dashed for the osprey and literally banged into it, hoping to get the osprey to drop its fish.
This is a favorite tactic of bald eagles – let the osprey catch the fish, then steal the fish for the eaglets.
The plucky osprey hung onto its prize and dashed between two trees where mom Ranger couldn’t follow it.
Mom Ranger was quite grumpy. Not everything goes the eagle’s way.
doc ellen's journey 