Jordan Lake. One moment, you have very firmly in your grasp the chunk of fish that your mom has brought to you. You decide to fly off somewhere safe to eat it. But, then, oh drat… you drop it. Sometimes life has a very steep learning curve or should I say a very steep drop. Oh, bald eagle fledgling’s woe.

Jordan Lake. “Ah ha! That catfish is mine, all mine”, said the 4-year-old bald eagle. Carefully she surveyed the area and then quickly launched, carrying her prize with her.

Jordan Lake. After the bald eagle quarterly count this morning, a pair of bald eagles came by. That is mom eagle that you first see on the left. She takes a little dip and then a stroll. Dad bald eagle shows up and proceeds to have a snack of fish. This is my first real attempt at using the new camera for video … I can foresee lots of needed practice … but the still photography remains my priority.

Jordan Lake. Hard Luck osprey nest. Sometimes ospreys get their entire front – from beak to their feet pretty cruddy with the leftovers of fish. The best way the ospreys have found to scrub is to skip themselves – like a stone that you might skip across a pond. The motion of skipping and rubbing against the water acts like a very stiff brush and helps loosen up the debris. I get to see this action every couple of years at the lake. I see it more in the summer and I have to wonder if the heat and humidity in the air makes the fish leftovers stick tighter. This is the longest sequence I’ve ever been able to photograph and I am very happy to be sharing it with you. Enjoy!

osprey skipping

Jordan Lake. Hard Luck Osprey Nest. You may remember that last year the parents at this nest lost their offspring to a bald eagle and then they lost the tree and their nest in a storm. This year the parents, at a new tree and nest, have a chick that’s gotten to the stage of wing wapping and it’s thinking hard about flying in a few weeks!