Azalea – Remarkable Roundtrip to Potomac River
Azalea is just remarkable!!! The following is a description of her most recent epic roundtrip from the North Carolina State Tidewater Research Station at Plymouth, NC to the edge of the Potomac River in Northumberland County, VA – about a 400 mile plus journey.
10am Aug 26 Azalea leaves the Tidewater Research Station, flying north across Albemarle Sound to Bertie County. Aug 27 flies to Meherrin River in Hertford County and overnights. Aug 28 leaves Meherrin River at 9am flying north over the Chowan River. Crosses into Southampton County Virginia about 11:30 and is over Franklin at noon, Isle of Wight County at 1pm, Surry County at 2pm, crosses the James River into James City County at 3pm, crosses the York River at 4:30pm and comes to rest at the Poropotank River in Gloucester County where she spends the night (stayed here Dec 3, 2009). Aug 29 at 10am leaves heading north over Gloucester County, at 11:30am over Middlesex County, crosses the Rappahannock River at noon south of Urbanna, across Lancaster County at 1pm, the Great Wicomico River at 2pm and at 3pm arrives at one of her favorite places, Sydnor’s Millpond in Northumberland County and spends the night. At 10am Aug 30 she slowly heads north a short distance to the south end of Coan River at noon which flows into the Potomac River.
Azalea then does an immediate about face and heads south and at 1pm is over Edwardsville, 2pm Kilmarnock, crosses south over the Rappahannock River arriving at Mathews, VA at 3pm and overnights at Horn Harbor in Mathews County. She leaves here at 11am Aug 31 crossing the York River at noon, Hampton, VA at 1pm, the Hampton Roads Harbor at 1:30 into Portsmouth, the Churchland section of Chesapeake at 2pm, flys along the east edge of the Great Dismal Swamp NWR re-entering North Carolina in Camden County at 2:45, Pasquotank County at 3pm, Perquimens County at 4pm and reaches the mouth of the Chowan River where she spends the night west of Hancock, NC. Sept 1 is a lazy day for Azalea. She flys across Route 17 south of Edenton and spends the day along Albemarle Sound in Chowan County, overnights here. She leaves here about 1pm flying south across Albermarle Sound back into Washington County arriving back at the Tidewater Research Station and the privately owned catfish ponds at 2pm. Journey over. Stayed right here Sept 3, 4, 5, and as of this map at 6am Sept 6 she was at the communal roost.
13 Comments
:-)) I love this crazy eagle! I’d love to know what inspires these trips?
Thanks reese !
Our girl sure knows how to keep everyone guessing.
She must be very healthy to fly so far- but wonder why !
Azalea you have done us proud!!!! From the moment they put that transmitter on you, I think you made it youir mission to teach us so much. How wonderful that you have so much energy and are healthy enough to make such a journey. Shows that eating catfish builds strong eagles. I wonder if you had any company on your recent journey?????? Take care beautiful girl and I look forward to the next chapter.
Thank you Reese for this amazing update!!
Hi Reese- I don’t know if you’ve heard/read about everyone chatting about Virginia the young female at Jamestown or not. There are some photos of her posted in the General Chat area of the forum. She seems to really tolerate humans getting real close to her from what is being written. Would you or the appropriate people ever consider catching her and relocating her if you thought she was in danger of being hurt by humans? Thanks
Wild Irish – A small segment of the bald eagle population like the NBG eagles have become habituated to human activities and are thus much more tolerant of us, our actions and noises. With the fantastic built-in GPS system they have, it would not likely do any good to trap and relocate this eagle. It would just find its way right back. – Reese
WOW. She sure is a wanderer. Quite a journey. Thank you Reese fo her update.
That’s a heck of a GPS system she has….what a healthy young eagle she is….fly on.
Reese – She is simply amazing. Be safe baby Diva and once again- glad you are back home:) Love you bunches
Dix
Fantastic ! She seems determined to show us what an eagle can do and keep us wondering why!! Fly strong, Az. Thanks, Reese
Re: the young female at Jamestown–maybe that’s the one I saw on the river near Surry on August 25th. She was flying very slowly right at treetop level near a group of about 15 people in canoes.
WOW!! What an exciting journey! Too bad us humans are not as yet able to understand what motivates an eagle! I believe those “privately owned catfish ponds” are owned by Azalea and her friends! What a great place to live — all the catfish an eagle could hope for!! Thank you Reese, so very much, for sharing such fantastic info.
What an amazing journey. She is a fantastic eagle! I love reading about her wonderful adventures.
Oh Azalea – you are such an incredible creature! We are so lucky to have these fantastic insights into your life and where you go. Thanks so much, Reese, and everyone else. I just love our eagles! Can’t wait to see who we get to meet next Spring.
Azalea is amazing! She sure has wanderlust. Like the others, I would like to know what motivates her to go on her jaunts. As long as she stays out of harms way, she should enjoy her soaring trips.