First Fish & Other Special Angling Moments: A Picture Can Be Worth a 1000 Words


March Marks the Return of the Osprey and Adversity Continues to Follow One Pair

Or in the midst of millions of acres of wetlands and thousands of miles of shoreline in Georgia’s string of barrier islands a male and female osprey were perched on the same branch when one caught the eye of the other. Seems quite dreamy, but more likely they met on the James, both returning for the first time in 2012 and it just took the male time to entice a female to stay and spend the next fifteen to twenty years together as life-long mates. How and where they met is a part of the story that will always be theirs.
Knowing what these osprey have overcome, through numerous observations, during their first two migratory seasons on the James is what makes this pair special to me. These observations are the parts of their story, which are ours, and we can share, learn, protect and inspire.

Note: March 2, 2014
A Few Interesting Observations on the James
November 9, 2013. Yesterday evening we observed something interesting. At the downriver end of Jefferson's Reach, near Jones Neck, we saw five bald eagles ... none of them were resident eagles. There were three immature and one mature eagle, or very close to adult age. The fifth was inconclusive as it was pretty far off but looked to be another young eagle.
I believe the winter migration of bald eagles has started with the arrival of these birds yesterday. Usually, in the middle of November, when the first blast of cold air arrives, so do the migratory eagles from the north. This observation occurred on Friday evening, around 4:30pm, November 8, 2013.
Another interesting observation over the last month is the daily presence of osprey. In the middle of August, the summer resident female osprey began to leave the area, heading south on their annual fall migration. By early September, just about all the female osprey were gone and many of the male osprey had left. By the middle of September, the rest of the males and all their offspring were our of the area and on their migration.
There were no osprey sightings on the river for a couple of weeks ... then all of the sudden osprey were present again.
These late run osprey were probably migrating through the area. I assume they were from the New England area as well as Canadian osprey moving through, also heading south towards the Gulf of Mexico and South America. Interestingly, there have been osprey observed from the Discovery Barge II (my pontoon boat) nearly everyday I've been on the water over the last two weeks. Some days we saw up to three. Three of the last four years, one pair of osprey wintered over at the hot water discharge area behind Farrar's Island, also known as Henricus. Not sure they were there two years ago, but last year, three years ago, and four years ago they were present. I think it's pretty interesting osprey are still being observed on the tidal James ... and we saw one today, November 9, 2013, about 10am, on the east side of Varina Farms.
Personally, I can't wait for their return in the first week of March 2014.
To the left is a wonderful image of a resident eagle taken today by photographer Kay Rankin. A flurry of cowbirds swarmed around this eagle (named Varina) who just left her perch high on a bluff, from the top of a loblolly pine tree. Great shot Kay!!!
In this photo, Varina is in the process of expanding her territory.
Over the last year and a half, between November and early January, before the resident bald eagles lay their eggs, resident eagles have been testing their boundaries, looking to potentially expand where they can. It only happens where a large buffer zone is present between two occupied territories, or there is an unoccupied area next to an eagle's territory (there is only one of these unoccupied areas that I know of). I would have to say the difference between a 'large buffer zone' and an 'unoccupied territory' would simply be the size. A large buffer zone would not be large enough to become another eagle's territory where an unoccupied territory would be large enough to become home to another pair of mated eagles.
Varina is the female eagle that resides just east of the Varina-Enon Bridge and she was seen flying upriver, beyond the bridge and into the pine tree about 1/8 mile to the west of the bridge, beyond her normal boundary. This was observed today, November 9, 2013 around 10am and it's the first time I have seen Varina or her mate, Enon, "perch" on a tree west of the bridge. Late last year, early in January of this year, and over the last couple of weeks, Varina & Enon have been observed flying west of the bridge, outside of their normal territorial boundary. I believe they are in the process of extending their territory, west, towards the River's Bend Golf Course. There is a creek mouth on the James, and a creek that runs up into the golf course and leads to a lake. I do believe they are claiming this area as their territory. Technically, it's the east side of Bandit & the Duke's territory, but they never use it. They just do not fly that far east. So that area really is a 'Large Buffer Zone' between the two occupied territories.
As for whether or not Varina & Enon's territory will expand ... time will tell and I will keep my eyes out. Good stuff!!
Note: Baba & Pops, the resident pair of bald eagles near Deep Bottom, seem to be extending their territory downriver of Four Mile Creek. They are potentially expanding into an unoccupied territory. (More to come as both stories develop).
Capt. Mike
Great Email
Sometimes you get an email that makes your day start off just right. I recieved this yesterday from a man who took a Bald Eagle Tour this past Sunday with his family ...
"I want to say thank you for a great time Sunday morning. Myself, my wife and my daughter had the pleasure of taking your Bald Eagle Tour Sunday morning. It far exceeded my expectations. Everything was perfect! We've lived in the Richmond area for 20+ years and the Bald Eagle Tour is easily in the Top 5 things to do around town. I haven't stopped telling people about it. I really appreciate everything."
--Brian T.
Bald Eagles of the James: Video Short
July, 2013. To see a recent video of bald eagle images, Click here. A portion of the proceeds from all 8" x 10" print sales will go to support bald eagle research through the Center for Conservation Biology. Go to Shop.DiscovertheJames.com, or click here, for more information on print purchases.
The images were selected from a larger show of bald eagles which hung in a few locations around Richmond, VA in 2012 and 2013. The original images from the "Bald Eagles of the James River" were 16" x 20" canvas mounted prints. The show contains about 28 images, and are still available for hanging. Currently, Discover the James is looking for a location for a long term showing. If interested, please contact Discover the James at 804-938-2350 or Mike@DiscovertheJames.com. Thanks and see you on the river! --Capt. Mike
Photo Credit: "Bandit in Tree" by Marlene Frazier.