"bald eagle"

Bald Eagle sighting, a mating pair?

Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Date: December 17, 2010
Time: 12:00pm-12:10pm
Location: Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, below the Field's Dam at the confluence of Fox Creek and the New River. (Lat/Lon: 36.602951, -81.307705)
Elevation:
2460 feet
Weather:
temperature is on the rise after a two week period of extreme cold and moderate to light snow.


On my way to Mouth of Wilson, at around noon, two giant birds caught my eye. I had just crossed over the bridge where Fox Creek empties into the New River. After hitting the brakes and spilling a soda on the floor, I pulled over and watched. The adult eagles were taking turns swooping down, coming within inches of a bird in the water. Every minute or so they would perch on the trees along the south side of the river. A crow passed through, heading upstream, and one eagle dove into hot pursuit. It made chase up to the dam and returned. After diving down at a water bird several more times. I did not make an ID on that bird, but it dove under the water on occasions; cormorant sized, with dark plumage. I noticed at Aviatlas.com that a double-crested cormorant has been spotted near this locality before (during the month of October).
The pair of eagles departed together. They flew southwest, up stream, and then turned south toward Piney Creek, NC (very high in the sky but almost directly over 93).
Maybe one day someone will find a nest!
I continued west on 58, admiring the up-thrust sheets of ice about to spill over the banks of the New River (this reminded me of last year's amazing January ice event:
Icebergs).

The tranquility of Nature- NOT!

A story from Bill Dunson of three species that frequent the woods and river valleys of the Blue Ridge highlands. Have you ever considered these types of interactions?


There can sometimes be great drama in the lives of birds as well as humans, as we have been observing a pair of ospreys and their tormentors, a pair of great horned owls. We have not directly observed all the specific interactions of these two wonderful species, but can surmise what must be happening. It appears that the owls drove a pair of ospreys from their nest and occupied it (see photo of owl's head just above the edge of the nest). Then the ospreys moved further down the island at Stump Pass State Park and built another nest (see photo) and seemed to be happily engaged in domestic bliss. But just yesterday it appeared that the osprey pair had left the nest and were flying around somewhat distraught. The male was carrying a stick and chasing the female and no one was minding the nest. We are afraid that something may have happened to the baby ospreys or the eggs; perhaps the owls are involved or not- we do not know.
A pair of bald eagles also moved from a nearby nest site occupied last year and built a new nest in a tall Norfolk Island pine just north of the owls, where all seems to be well, except that here we can see in a great photo by Paula Kaye that an immature eagle is harassing the adult on the nest! Eagles also have quite a lot of trouble from owls themselves but in this case junior may want to inherit Mom's territory or maybe is just curious about what married life is like.
So when we might think sometimes about how wonderful and stress-free the lives of animals wild and free in nature must be- think again! Life is a struggle, perhaps for creatures great and small?
Bill Dunson
Englewood, FL