First Nest Bald Eagles: As I was getting journals and itinerary ready for this breeding season, it occurred to me that perhaps you would like to see the changes in the nest itself. The 1st photo was taken in the first breeding season 2011-2012.

when I wrote this in 2018, I had no idea at all that seven years later, our country would be even more divided, more fearful, and, regretfully, with very little contentment or peace to be found

Bald eagles keep an eye on their nest all year. This pair will not get into the whole breeding sequence until later in the year. However, parents must guard their nest. As you can see they are very alert… 🦉

What a delightful surprise this afternoon at Jordan Lake: Captain Doug and I found the parents of the Heron Point bald eagle nest sitting side by side ... its about time for this pair to start thinking about the next generation! 🦉

The eagle was intent upon something way up in the sky. The eagle shifted it's glance and perched thinking. Suddenly it exploded almost straight up off of the branch and into the air. Captain Doug and I both said at the same time "I haven't never seen an eagle launch straight up like that". 🦉

Oh, but how can it be that this was the last day of summer? Will I still be able to find my favorite sun patch in the kitchen tomorrow?

This bald eagle absolutely ignored Captain Doug and I. I wondered what had her attention. Leaning back, I looked up and up. All I could see was sky and a few clouds. It was obvious, because of her attention heavenward, that there was something that I, mere human, just could not bring into sight. 🦉

Egrets and herons, on their middle toes, have a special edge that acts like a comb. They use this pectinate edge to reach up into the special soft feathers on their chest and gather up some of the extra fine fluff that lingers there. 🦉

September 6, 2025 is International Vulture Awareness Day. I certainly wouldn't want to live in a world without vultures scattered within it. They do such an excellent job of helping our environment stay clean. Vultures help to control a lot of otherwise harmful debris. 🦉

Captain Doug and I were out cruising the lake last week. We found a young bald eagle surveying the shoreline. We could see that it was at least three years old - heading towards four. 🦉

My Labor Day sale has taken off, but it ends tomorrow! Use code LABOR2025 to take 30% off at checkout. Support independent art and grab something meaningful while the offer lasts. www.docellensnaturephotography.com View “Grayced regal and assured” and others in my online gallery to use your code!

Labor Day is here, and I’m running a special offer to celebrate. Take 30% off with code LABOR2025 when you shop my online gallery. If you’ve been thinking about bringing something home, now’s the perfect time. www.docellensnaturephotography.com Today's Art: “Grayced eye reflection”

docellensjourney.com/2025/08/31/l... Come, join my Labor Day Memories!

This is the hollering juvenile female osprey that was in my post a while ago. I just got back to scanning that day's work. We can all see why she was screaming. The chunk of fish tightly grasped in her right talons was what she was protecting! BTW average wingspan of an osprey is 5-6ft. 🦉

nc.audubon.org/news/you%E2%... This is an awesome sight! The article lets you search for nearby viewing points. if you are not in North Carolina, go to the National Audubon website and search for your state and see if the migration occurs there and where you might view it. 🦉

A moment with Grayced the Cat my companion. A friend stopped by a few minutes ago to hand off paperwork to me and a moth snuck in. Sigh. Grayced has spotted the moth. I will leave the light on in the kitchen and hope Grayced doesn't wear himself out looking up at the light for the rest of the night.

Here is a close look at the eye color of the juvenile osprey. The eye is a bright orange. Note the white points on the flight feathers of a juvenile. She is a female by the broad brown chest band she has (some females only have a single line of dots) - this youngster has a beautiful necklace.🦉

As a veterinarian, I know better, but sometimes I swear cats are boneless. Take Grayced, this late afternoon as an example … neck what neck? 🐈

When we have a hurricane on shore or close to shore - such as hurricane Erin - lots of the birds that live in coastal areas are often pushed far inland. I have seen this with ibises, little blue herons, pelicans, sandpipers. Through the next couple of days, go out and see what you can find! Share! 🦉

Mom Osprey needs to replenish her body and spirits before she leaves for South America on fall migration. Occasionally two ospreys will sight the same fish at almost the same time. Mom osprey got to the fish before the male osprey did. He decides to float up & out. She happily hauls her fish away.🦉

How to tell a fledgling great blue heron from an adult. Check the head! Adult head crowned with white stripe enclosed in black stripe and a plume or two. The fledgling has solid gray-capped head - no plumes. There are other differences - but for quick ID it's pretty much all in the head. 🦉

This morning as the sun rose over the Haw River at the Jordan Lake Dam, the ospreys began to fill the sky with graceful flights as they fished for their breakfast. 🦉

Breakfast flights at the Jordan Lake Dam. Thought I’d let y'all get a taste of how active the birds are being. 3 times I saw groups of 15 ospreys in the air. 11 great egrets. 6 great blue herons. 1 green heron! Even if you do not have binoculars or a telephoto lens, bring your chair and just watch.🦉

A reader of my posting of the rescued bald eagle made a valid point - I had forgotten to put up a web address where one could make donations to the Carolina Raptor Center. Here is address for donations carolinaraptorcenter.org/support/ I took this photo at initial intake & exam at the raptor center🦉

When you cannot get close enough to an osprey to see its eye color (red/orange fledgling & yellow adult), and is it adult or fledgling? See the back of the bird! Fledgling has white points at the end of its feathers! Adult has brown flight feathers (adult left, fledgling right) see the difference! 🦉

We know a ruby-throated hummingbird as it dashes madly about. There is another hummer at Jordan Lake - the hummingbird moth. Get close to the moth and realize its an insect, not a bird! I found both of these critters recently and wanted to share. Enjoy their beauty and their zipping sipping flight!🦉

Update Jordan Lake Rescued Bald Eagle. Negative for bird flu. Was 1st big hurtle. Weight has fluctuated - not unusual in the process toward recovery. Gets supplements to help with recovery from severe feather damage. Still not capable of flight. Ongoing cost over $1500. Please consider a donation🦉

My first sighting of one of this year's fledgling ospreys! She is beautiful and her dark many layered necklace says I am female. Jordan Lake, July 23, 2025 🦉

Immature leucistic chipping sparrow is getting good at finding food! John Gerwin ornithologist at NC Museum of Natural Science answered a question about this leucistic bird. I was concerned that maybe it was a hybrid: it is not, it is all chipping sparrow. 🦉

BALD EAGLE RESCUE! Rangers of Jordan Lake State Park found an injured bald eagle. Rangers Gibson, Sharpe, Davis and Baxter, working as a team, were able to safely get the bald eagle captured. The eagle needed to go to the Carolina Raptor Center. Story at docellensjourney.com/2025/07/19/b... 🦉

Better set of photos of the leucistic chipping sparrow at Jordan Lake. I put the set out yesterday in a hurry because sometimes these oddly colored babies don't have a long life ... I wanted everybody to have a chance, if they could, to go and see it. The youngster was still there this morning. 🦉

Jordan Lake Visitor Assistance Center has RARE bird. Light colored chipping sparrow fledgling has a leucistic pattern. Leucistic=white. Compare youngster's white/light areas to parent's dark plumage. This plumage abnormality occurs about 1 in 30,000 birds. A CESAW Jon Bannerman original sighting! 🦉

Jordan Lake Dam and Tailrace Area are Open! Please be very careful as the Haw River is flowing very fast and forceful. I would avoid going on the riprap rocks! A slip could be dangerous. I made the clip this morning and it has the Haw River, ospreys and great blue herons fishing. 🦉

This great blue heron youngster, from this year's breeding season, has an expression that I have also seen on five-year-old humans. He seems to be saying "OK, I got here to this place. Not sure what this place is. Now, what am I supposed to do next?" 🦉

The sky leopard roared, pinned its ears back, ruffled its neck, lunged upward in anger at all of the storms that had been happening. It decided to gobble up all of the clouds and perhaps stop the blinding lightning strikes, booming echoing thunder and torrential rains. Jordan Lake, NC

Great blue herons, in an effort to keep cool, do what looks to us like a dog panting. It's not the same process however. The great blue heron flutters its gular ... its throat tissues. With the heron's mouth open, the damp throat is rapidly fluttered and causes a living form of evaporative cooling!🦉

Ospreys don't have roofs over their nests, no shade. Excessive heat is dangerous to all animals. Osprey moms give up their comfort to make shade for their chicks. Mom will stand with wings outspread for long minutes to insure their chicks are cool. Mom osprey as she becomes a life sustaining shade.🦉

National Bald Eagle Day, June 20, 2025 🦉

The immature great blue heron on the left is one of this year’s fledglings. Immature great blue heron on the right is probably from last year’s breeding cycle. Great blue herons are grumpy and territorial. The older youngster wins the face-off. 🦉 Video docellensjourney.com/2025/06/16/f...

On the morrow, June 14, 2025, we will join the defiant freedom proclamation with confident feet on streets, while those whose feet struggle will amass the energy that weaves together the footsteps into the tattered healing tapestry of democracy.

Fledge! The bald eagle chick on the left of nest brim thought hard. Launched. Set feet and wings for first landing! Disappeared as Captain Doug and I watched its very first flight! Check 1st photo again, go right of nest and see the other fledgling watching its sibling. Jordan Lake.🦉

Oh, joy! Today was my first day back on the lake cruising with Captain Doug since my surgery. We quickly found a female bald eagle and a fledgling close to her. I don't know what nest they were from but it sure did my heart a whole lot of good to be in the living presence of such majesty again. 🦉

Grayced the Cat naps in the evening golden hour. I smile at his repose while thinking of all the hours he has spent comforting me in my continuing recovery. Each day I walk further and Grayced is home waiting to fill my lap with soothing purrs ... while avoiding the ice pack on my knee.

If you would like to read the story of the Ancient Woodland Lizard in Doc Ellen’s Journey, please click the link docellensjourney.com/2025/05/27/a...

Memorial Day 2025 when we remember those who gave away their very lives to carve a path of Freedom for us all.

Bald eagle chicks First Nest have fledged! 1st fledgling far upper right & empty nest far lower left. 2nd Mom Kate far left fledgling far upper right. Capt. Doug has been doing double duty: checking his nests as well as mine while I am in recovery. He shared these 2 photos with us. 🦉

The wizened elder cocked her head and thought that perhaps the glittering strings of water were best remembered as rain ribbons of slowly dancing twists of silver. She smiled and today became a remembered monochrome of summer storms of a long past childhood. docellensnaturephotography.com

Dear viewers, could you help Doc Ellen? I have had knee replacement surgery. I am going to be indoors for 6 weeks. I am already missing the lake. Would you mind sharing with me some of your photos that bring you joy and laughter? Your sharing would ease my soul as I work towards healing. Thank you!🦉

Doc Ellen has been profiled by writer Kimberly Gentry in Suburban Living serving Fuquay Varina. If you have a few minutes, please sit for a moment or two and read why Jordan Lake is now central to her journey. fuquay-varina.suburbanlivingmag.com/doc-ellen-se...