raptor

Tag

By Fledglings Testing Each Other

Jordan Lake Dam: This morning was our quarterly bald eagle count at Jordan Lake. I and three others were counting from the top of the Jordan Lake Dam. We had actually finished the count – which runs from 7:00 to 8:30 AM but we were still watching the skies when this pair of fledgling bald eagles came tumbling out from around the corner. They were way out to mid lake. The two of them bounced in and out and around the corner several times. There was an almost cold wind and piled up gray clouds this morning. Bald Eagles really enjoy cold bouncy air and these two were certainly testing the wind and each other.

By Compare these Two Eaglets…

Jordan Lake. Both of these birds are 2-year-old bald eagles. They are both females. Did the chest/belly of the first eaglet seem to have a LOT of white feathers while the second youngster was mostly dark brown? Ah, the 1st bird is what we call a “white belly” and these are not seen as often as the darker colored birds. One other detail: note the color of the feet. The white belly eaglet has feet that are pale, almost beige (almost all white bellies have pale feet) while the second eaglet has the more usual yellow feet. Adults tend to have brilliant deep yellow/orange feet. Variety!!!

By Fledgling Tilt…

Jordan Lake: Bald Eagles are impressive … even when leaping away … and you get a different point of view. This fledgling glanced down, tilted and did a powerful launch from his perch.

By Oddly Marked Bald Eagle

Jordan Lake: It looks like this bald eagle tried to put on a formal button down vest this morning and got it on backwards. She is closer to five than four years of age. It appears, in both photos and several others I have from this morning, that those are consistent permanent white dots on those feathers. It is an interesting plumage pattern!

By Spectacular Fail!

Jordan Lake: Spectacular Fail! You are seeing the second of three attempts that Mom Godiva the bald eagle made early this morning on a huge striped bass. She had snagged it the first pass and had to drop it. This is her second attempt. Godiva came around, set her talons, and the impact apparently was so great – her weight of about 12 pounds against the approximate 2 pounds of the fish – that the interaction flipped the fish out behind her. Do not feel too badly for Mom Godiva. She came back around the third time and actually got a very good grip on the huge bass and took it back to the shoreline. There she ate her hard earned breakfast.