jordan lake bald eagle nest | Best Life Birding- Birdwatching Tours

Yesterday morning I headed back to check up on that Bald Eagles nest that I’ve been monitoring for the past couple of months.
Once again, I just saw the male bird with his mate nowhere to be seen.
Although I still think it’s possible that she may be brooding inside the nest (therefore I can’t see her from my vantage point) I’m starting to wonder now if this is actually an active nest site.
Bald Eagles do tend to have their favorite perches so maybe it’s just a coincidence that this one’s favorite spot to hang out happens to be here.

It is puzzling though because I did see him and a female bringing sticks to this nest about a month ago. It certainly appeared that they were improving the nest structure at the time.
Guess only time will tell whether or not this nest will yield chicks in a few weeks.
Ahh birds. Always making me ask more questions about their behavior then answering them.
Just when I think I’ve got something right, they go and maybe “pretend” to build a nest to throw me off.
What are you gonna do haha?!
It’s ok though.
At least I’ve had the opportunity to get out every week to photograph Bald Eagles.
Not a darn thing wrong with that.
😉
I’ll keep you updated with this nesting site so that we can see how this shakes out together.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatchingnc
Canon 5Ds

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

Nest update!
I made a trip up to the Bald Eagle nest site that I’m monitoring for the ARMY Corps of Engineers at Jordan Lake on Wednesday to check out how things were going.
This time I only spotted what I believe is the male bird chilling out on his bare branch above the nest.

It’s quite possible that the female was sitting inside the nest but from my vantage point it’s tough to tell, especially if the structure has a deep well.
You’d be surprised just how well a nesting Bald Eagle can conceal itself from someone viewing it from the ground level simply by flattening it’s body down into the sticks, lol!

Nothing to dramatic to report but gosh it’s so awesome to see this awesome bird out in the wild.
Fingers crossed that I can confirm that the eggs have been laid next week.
🦅
*Nest location will not be disclosed. Please don’t ask where these shots were taken, GPS data has been scrubbed.
This is to protect the birds as Bald Eagles are particularly sensitive to human interaction during nesting season. They are easily spooked off of their nest by people which can lead to nest failure (cold eggs and starving chicks) so it’s vital that they remain undisturbed during this time.
In case you’re wondering how I captured these seemingly “up close” photos, these shots were taken from 700+ feet away with a zoom lens & then the final images were cropped at 90%. Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds