Azalea's New Year Surprise!!!
January 4, 2010Azalea Explores Alligator River NWR
January 6, 2010
Azalea spent Dec 28 and 29 at the Middle Peninsula Landfill in Gloucester County, VA as she has for much of the prior two weeks. For reasons known only to her she did not go the the landfill on Dec 30, but flew to the Poropotank River which is the boundry between Gloucester and King & Queen counties. She returned to the landfill on Dec 31 and Jan 1, 2010. Instead of returning to the Adner swamp as she has been doing, she spent the night of Jan 1/2 on the Poropotank River.
Now for the surprise!!! She left her roost about 9:00am on Jan 2 and flew south crossing the York River and by 11:00am was over Hampton,VA. By 2:00pm was over Virginia Beach and by 3:30pm had entered North Carolina over Mackay Island NWR. She continued southward across Currituck County and crossed Albemarle Sound to Manns Harbor, NC (Dare County) by 5:00pm. She then turned west and spent the night of Jan 2-3 just east of South Lake in Alligator River NWR. Our last satellite data point at 8:00am Jan 3 shows that she was still moving south as she had crossed Rt64 and appeared to be headed for Sawyer Lake in Alligator River NWR. Where you going next Azalea?? Stay tuned. – Reese
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8 Comments
WOW she is looking for a way out of cold.
We know she is smart 🙂
Thanks again Reese
Smart lady in this winter blast! Glad to hear she is getting around a new area. By the way, the eagle cam has not been available yet today. Are they having problems getting it in motion?
I can’t stand it – I have to ask – so how many miles per hour does Azalea fly? 🙂
Wow is right. She is just incredible. I love her. Thanks so much.
WOW! What a trip! I do hope she stays away from any alligators! LOL She is probably trying to find a warm spot, just like we humans.
Stay safe, Azalea and come visit the nest!
Cora – The target date for eagle cam is Jan 11. We are all eager to get it up and broadcasting, and doing our best to do that.
Emalee – The cruising speed of a bald eagle is about 35-40 mph. However, they rarely fly in a straight line because of their use of thermals to aide in their flight and to minimize energy expenditure. To cover the 100 miles or so from Gloucester to Dare, she may have actually flown 150 miles or more.
She has come a long way and still has a long way to go to find much warmth. It is cold just about everywhere, even on down to FL. It is warmer here in AL but it will be in the teens at night for the next few nights. I know that is rough on all fowl and animals. It must have been really cold where she was and I have been worried about her. Thanks for the update Reese. Helen
That is really exciting. My parents live in Manns Harbor. Maybe I can catch a glimpse of her if she stays for a while down there. I know last season a pair nested on East Lake, which is part of the refuge.