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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 Eagle Nest Report: First Nest is Threatened 02/03/2017

Petruchio the dad was on the nest brooding the chick(s) when an immature turkey vulture tried to invade the nest (see its wing tip at the very top of the first photo of the slide show; the nest and Petruchio are at the very bottom right). Mom Kate was almost out of sight out near the main lake when she heard Petruchio’s calls for help. Kate quickly dashed across the lake and cove and there began a terrific chase across the sky. Kate routed the vulture and soon chased it out of my sight and down behind the trees. Kate returned some minutes later. All the eagles were safe. A slide show of the chase can be seen at https://youtu.be/QpOE-eX2gjU

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By JL Eagle nest report: LL&H nest 2/01/2017, 6 photos
WooWee!!! There is a CHICK at the LL&H nest.
As I have noted in the past, the nest of Lady Lake and Heritage is difficult for me to get to.
This afternoon with the help of State Ranger McMurray, we got a look at the nest.
I think the chick is about 2 weeks old.
Lady Lake in the nest.
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The dad, Heritage, coming into the nest.
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Just to the left of the main tree trunk, at the rim of the nest,
you can see the light grey form of the chick.
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You can make out the eye of the chick, as it warms in the sun at Lady Lake’s feet.
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Several times Lady Lake looked behind the chick we can see…
I wonder if there is a second chick? Bald eagles usually have 2.
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Eagle parents spend a lot of time simply watching their chicks.
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By JL Eagle nest report: First Nest has hatched!!! 3 photos, 1 video

Kate proudly sitting on her chick(s).

It will be a couple of weeks before the chick(s) get big enough for me to see them.

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Kate is on the upper limb, glaring down at Petruchio who is standing in the nest.

Petruchio quickly left to go fishing for food for the chick(s).

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Kate is looking down in the nest – apparently admiring her chick(s)!

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Petruchio is standing on the edge of the nest, shredding a fish

and feeding the bites to the unseen hatchlings.

video is courtesy of Scot, one of the other eagle 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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By JL Neighborhood Feeding Feast, 12 photos, 1/23/2017
A feeding frenzy erupted at the lake yesterday.
It was started by 4 white pelicans – yes, pelicans, you know, those warm climate birds…
that most likely for weather related reasons were at Jordan Lake.
White pelicans don’t do the spectacular fishing dives that the brown pelicans do.
Nope.  The white pelicans fish cooperatively using their feet and bodies to push fish into a tight mass.
Then the pelicans feast.  AND, the bald eagles saw a buffet open up on the lake.
Without hesitation…after all, they are Eagles… the bald eagles started fishing in the middle of the congregation.
So did the great blue herons, the cormorants, the gulls and the terns.
There were several fights between eagles.
For more than 45 minutes I watched, photographed and enjoyed.  I hope you do too.
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