FAIL (the browser should render some flash content, not this).

User login

Eagle Tour Photographer Spotlight: Dave Parrish

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Thu, 12/29/2011 - 05:20
December 28, 2011.  Dave Parrish is a photographer who has many talents, including the talent to make you laugh if you are lucky enough to be hanging around him. He also has another talent, one he probably won’t admit to, but it’s one of his finest. Second to his natural talent for photography, I’d say, Dave is a first class educator when it comes to helping friends and colleagues learn the art of photography. He freely offers advice and lessons on digital photography. He is also a leader in a local photography club, the Richmond Photography Meetup Group … a group with nearly 500 members. 
 
Dave is comfortable with his Pentax digital camera system. He is relaxed and able to dial into the shot quickly. He has a number of lenses ranging from macro, or close up, to super telephoto… and some of his super telephoto shots of bald eagles on the James River has created a buzz over with my Bald Eagle Tour, including one bird in particular. More on this later in the story …
 
Dave’s obsession with photography began over twenty years ago when he felt the need to capture some of the natural beauty he found himself constantly noticing while on outdoor adventures. Although his passion has increased and developed over time, Dave states, “I really only began taking photography seriously about six years ago after taking a few classes from John Tyler Community College.” 
 

Dave has worked tirelessly to make his photos technically perfect as well as artistically pleasing. Delving into most areas of photography from weddings to fashion to modern dance he thrives on challenging shoots, including photographing the bald eagles of the James River on Discover The James’ Bald Eagle Tour. Dave says, “The eagles of the James has been one of my most challenging and rewarding experiences to date.” He continues, “I will never leave behind my desire to convey the stunning beauty that nature presents to us every day.”
 
He considers photography a serious hobby but hopes to one day make it more of a occupation. Dave works fulltime as an electrician, but ALWAYS has his camera close at hand. If it’s not around his neck, it’s in his truck and at the ready. Dave truly is a dedicated photographer and will surely make it in that field if he wants to.
 

Now back to his photography of a particular bird. About two years ago, my wife took a photo of Bandit, the finest bald eagle on the James River. She captured a close, sharp image of the bird’s band, and we were able to get three numbers off the bird’s band.  It took more than a year for someone else to start capturing images of the band where numbers were readable … and Dave was that guy.  He took the band photography to a new level and was able to read seven of the eight total numbers off Bandit’s band.  

The image to the right is one of a series of images taken by Dave that gave us clues to many of the numbers from the band. The key mistake we both made was thinking the number that looks like an obvious '6' in this shot was a '6'.  Once we realized it was an '8' (from another photo), that gave us the last number that was needed to find out all about Banidt.  And we found out a bunch.  

It is with great pleasure that to highlight Dave Parrish’s work on my website. To see more of Dave’s wildlife photography, go to http://daveparrish.zenfolio.com/p1071367295.  

The Photos Stories?  Top Right:  This was a "Photo of the Month" winner for Dave in one of Discover The James' newsletters.  It is such a dramatic image that tells a story of a hunting osprey.  Here it is flying with a fresh cuaght gizzard shad, probably shifting the catch to a head first position in order to maintain a flight pattern into a tree to begin to eat the head off.  --Photo by Dave Parrish

Middle Left:  Another great shot.  Here an immagure bald eagle tries to grab a shad from the river, but upon close review of the photo, you can see it missed.  They get their prey most of the time, but not always.  I love the patterns of an immature eagle.  No wonder they are the subject of so many artists.  --Photo by Dave Parrish

Bottom Right:  This is the image that really got the ball rolling for me in the search for Bandit's band numbers.  For about a year, I had three numbers  6-2-9.  Then Dave started to dial into the band and begin gathering the data needed to find out all about this wonderful bird.  Bandit has an incredible story that is worthy of another post on the site ... coming soon.  Thanks Dave, Lynda Richardson and Steve Baranoff (the photographers who ended up gathering all the numbers via their photos).  --Photo by Dave Parrish

An Amazing Day on the James

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 21:58
December 20, 2011. Today started like most days on the James, an early arrival to the Richmond Yacht Basin to get the boat ready for the day’s adventure. Today, I readied for a fishing trip … checking lines on rods, checking hook points and leaders, and generally making sure everything was in order and in place. By 6:45am, I was ready to embrace the day, and welcome guests on my pontoon boat, into a clean, workboat-like atmosphere. 
 
Some days, if I am lucky, I get to sit back on the boat and enjoy the Eastern sky for a short while, after everything is done and ready. Today, I had those precious 15 minutes, and while looking at the glow of the predawn sunrise, I thought to myself, “This is going to be a good day.”
 
I was right. Not only did I manage to take this series of wonderful sunrise images from a moving pontoon boat (all in 30 minutes on the James River), but I spent the day with one of my favorite folks, Bill Schieman, an angler from Virginia Beach … AND … fishing was good! On the trip Bill brought his son Bill Jr., and his son’s daughter, Tracy.
 
Bill Schieman is also a hero of mine and here’s why ….
 
About six years ago, I received a phone call and was asked if I was the guy who did flathead fishing trips on the James in Richmond. I said, “Yes” and proceeded to tell the gentleman the details of the trip. When I explained how the flathead fishing trip is a perfect ‘half-day’ adventure, he interrupted and asked, “Don’t you do full-day flathead trips?” “Sure” I responded, “It’s just that this trip makes for a perfect half day, due to the length of the river float, etc. etc.” 
 
So Bill books a full day fishing trip and he travels from Virginia Beach by himself. We are to meet at the Huguenot Flatwater ramp at 7AM. The morning of our trip, I come floating downriver towards Huguenot Flatwater, about 6:40 am in my raft, ready to fish. Like always, I was arriving about 20 minutes early to relax, enjoy the morning sunrise, and watch over the river’s surface for fish activity. As I paddle up to the shore, there is a man sitting about halfway down the steps to the river. He says, “Are you Mike?” and I say, “Are you Bill?” and we both chuckled a bit.
 
That day of fishing was awesome. But more importantly, I got to know this guy from Virginia Beach, who has such an amazing, long history of fishing in Virginia. He’s a master bass fisherman, who has more largemouth bass citations than anyone in the history of freshwater fishing in Virginia. Bill has caught over 500 largemouth bass worthy of being called a “Trophy” by the Commonwealth of VA. Plus, he’s famous for catching huge walleye, yellow perch, crappie and sunfish. In short, the guy is an amazing fisherman and has been for over 70 years. 
 

That first trip Bill booked with me ended with him catching 20 or more flathead catfish, many over 20 pounds along with numerous smallmouth bass, redbreasted sunfish and bluegill. He fished in that hot sun for eight hours, non-stop with a smile on his face from ear to ear. We talked all day about fishing and life, and as I gave Bill a ride back upriver to his car for his journey back to Virginia Beach, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is who I want to be when I am 82 years old.” Bill got in his car at 4:45am, drove two hours to the James River in Richmond, fished all day, had a great time and drove back home all in one day. All for the sake of enjoying a day of fishing and all at the age of 82. Yeah, Bill is one of my hero’s and always will be. 

The Photo's Stories:  Top Left:  Sunrise on the James #1.  December 20, 2011.  Early morning, taken from just downriver of the Richmond Yacht Basin, at the upriver end of Jefferson's Reach.  --Photo by Capt. Mike 

Middle Right:  Sunrise on the James #2.  December 20, 2011.  Minutes after taking the first pic at the top left, while riding dowriver, towards Jones Neck, I paused to take this image from my Canon G-9 digital camera.  I love that little camera.  --Photo by Capt. Mike

Lower Left:  This is from a fishing trip, with Bill, from last fall.  He comes to fish the James River at least twice ayear, and here I am holding the biggest blue catfish of his life, a 64 pounder!  To this day, it is still a club record for the Tidewater Angler's Club, a fishing club Bill has belonged to since the 1960's.  --Photo by Sheldon Aery

Bottom Left:  Sunrise on the James #3.  December 20, 2011.  This is one of my favorite sunrise images in a while. Something about it grabs me, perhaps it's that first moment of direct sunlight, or the pallette of colors in the sky with the rays shooting through the clouds, or maybe it's the total lack of wind, creating a near perfect reflection of a magnificent sky.  Maybe it's all that, and more, of which I just can't explain.  Maybe it was just being there.  --Photo by Capt. Mike   

 

Eagle Tour Photographer Spotlight: Steve Baranoff

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Tue, 12/06/2011 - 23:10
December 6, 2011.  I find myself writing about the James River in ‘clumps’.  When I get enough time … I write.  With that said, after my recent ‘Fall Fishing Report’, I am following up with another blog post about some wonderful photography taken on my Bald Eagle Tour this fall.  The images in this post are the work of a photographer who has been booking Bald Eagle Tours on a regular basis.  Over the next month or two I plan to highlight the work of a few more photographers who have taken my Bald Eagle Tours.
Steve Baranoff is a nature photographer who lives in Richmond, Virginia and Austin, Texas.  He takes his talents and the lessons he’s learned throughout his life and channels it into his current work. 
And his work is very good. 
Steve worked as an electrical engineer and has perfectly combined his ‘engineering brain’ with an ‘art seed’ planted by his father, who worked as a painter, print maker and university art professor.  He is a member of many nature-based associations, including the Richmond Audubon Society, which promote stewardship and awareness of natural things.  And he freely shares his knowledge of photography and birds with his associates. 
His vision takes him into his subject’s natural surroundings, where he can capture images of birds in their habitat.  From there, he transforms his digital captures into artistic prints, shown as Bird Art.  Steve produces his own prints with archival inks and paper.  The images in this post, along with many others are available for sale through his website … BirdsInPhotos.com. 
What does Steve say about Discover The James' Bald Eagle Tours?  He states, "Capt. Mike's Bald Eagle tour is one of Richmond's hidden secrets."  
 
His love of photography, birding and boating makes the Bald Eagle Tour a natural way for him to capture incredible images of bald eagles (along with a few osprey, great blue heron, and even a songbird or two).  I can’t wait for him to get back from Texas so he can take some more wonderful images of the wildlife along the James River… Come on back soon Steve!      --Capt. Mike
 
The Photos Stories?: Top Right:  This is one of my favorite images Steve has taken, although I have to admit, there are many.  Here, one of the resident bald eagles of Jefferson's Reach is caught at the perfect moment of grabbing a meal from the James River.  Based on the ripples on the water, there may have been a good headwind (eagles usually fly into the wind when they either land, or fly in to snatch a meal on the water) and this bird may have slowed down it's process of snatching the fish.  Either way, this shot is awesome!  --Photo by Steve Baranoff
 
Middle Left:  Bandit, up close!  What can be said about this bird that hasn't been said (alot actually, more to come soon).  You can even see a scale in the beak.  During a fairly close up experience with Bandit this day, Steve broke out his long lens and captured this wonderful moment with this bird.  --Photo by Steve Baranoff
 
Lower Right:  I don't place enough immature eagle shots on my posts.  That's going to change though soon, as many wonderful shots were taken this year.  Here is a great shot of an immature flying with it's mature partent.  I believe this is Varina and her 2011 offspring, Liberty.  To read more about this immature bird, Liberty, click here (great story actually!).  
--Photo by Steve Baranoff
 
Lower Left: This very well could be Liberty, Varina & Enon's only 2011 offspring.  I love this image, as it shows off the inspirational markings on the underside of the wings.  It's no wonder our ancestors loved these birds so much.  Also, note the beak color.  The end of the beak is dark, meaning this immature bald eagle is a very young bird, less than two years of age.  --Photo by Steve Baranoff

  

Fall Blue Catfishing on the James River Update

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 15:56
December 5, 2011. Fishing has been outstanding on the James recently. Throughout November, and into the first week of December huge blue catfish have been bowing up my fishing poles one after the other. Wow, fantastic catfishing in December. It’s funny how my perspective of catfishing has changed over my lifetime. 
 
From the humble beginnings of fishing for bluegill on Russles Pond, a neighborhood pond, my angling adventures have slowly turned into a passion and now has become a lifetime’s journey of ‘Discovery on the James River’. 
 
When I was in my teens I thought catfish only bit at night and in the heat of the summer and spent many nights fishing the Occoquan River and the outflow of the Possum Point power plant on a tributary of the Potomac River.  Baiting a hook under the light of a lantern, if I caught a 10-pound catfish, that was a monster. Most were channel cats, but there were a few blue catfish mixed in, and even a flathead or two. Before ‘Discovering the James’, my biggest catfish was a 25 pound flathead catfish caught from the Occoquan when I was 25. 
 
Today, on the James, fishing for catfish is much different … I fish with bigger fishing rods, from a boat, and I get the opportunity to fish with lots of different people, both young and older alike. One of the highlights for me is seeing someone reel in a big fish for the first time, or better yet, to see a kid reel in a big fish.  In the image at the top, two youngsters are holding fish they caught at nearly the same moment. The biggest fish, caught by Nic weighted 51 pounds, while Daniel holds a 38-pound blue cat … caught at the end of November.
 
The other images are of two recent catches. The middle image is of a fellow who caught a 70-pound blue catfish last week. Funny how big fish like this can lurk in areas you never thought would hold such big fish. I am not going to divulge this secret spot, but it’s only the second time I ever fishing it, and believe me, I’ll be out there again soon. The last image, the bottom photo, is of 80-something year old Bill Schieman. Bill has been fishing with me for five or six years now and is one of the finest fishermen in the history of freshwater fishing in Virginia. He has to his credit over 500 largemouth bass citations (over 22” or 8 pounds!). He loves to catch big yellow perch, crappie, walleye and of course, big blue cats on the James. This fish weighed in around 35 pounds. His personal best with me is a 64 pounder caught last November.
 

Yes, catfishing is much different now than it was when I was younger. 

--Capt. Mike

A Day on the James with Sturgeon

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Tue, 10/25/2011 - 17:44
October 2011.  Today was the third in a series of trips on the James River with science teachers from Prince George High School. Through a grant at VCU Life Sciences, Anne Wright, has developed a series of teacher workshops that highlight the migration patterns for certain species of anadromous fish that annually inhabit the James River. These fish include the mighty Atlantic sturgeon, blueback herring, American shad and hickory shad. 
 
What is an anadromous fish? They are fish that live in the ocean, or in saltwater, and migrate up rivers along the coast, into freshwater in order to spawn. 
 
Over the past two years, the same group of teachers has been ‘Discovering the James’ with me on the Discovery Barge II through Anne’s workshops. Last fall, we took a trip downriver and studied the history of the river while learning about the migration patterns of herring and shad. This past spring we enjoyed a day with bald eagles, blueback herring and were introduced to the odd looking, anadromous sea lamprey. 
 
This recent trip, in early October was a very special one, as we ventured downriver from the Richmond Yacht Basin to Presquile Island … the home base for serious Atlantic sturgeon research. Our goal was to watch the best team of Atlantic Sturgeon researchers on the James River lead by VCU doctoral candidate, Matt Balazik. His team included brother Martin Balazik and fellow sturgeon researcher, Bree Langford.
 
 
We were to meet Matt’s team at Presquile Island around 9:30AM. When we arrived they already had two nets in the river, soaking for about 40 minutes. The 600 foot-long nets were set near the edge of the river channel, just off a very large flat. The gillnets had different mesh sizes, or size of the square holes in the net. The smaller net had 10 ½” mesh, while the other was 13”. These were very big nets, but we were after very big fish. 
 
Atlantic sturgeon grow to over 300 pounds on the James River. Historically they could exceed 800 pounds. The search for this prehistoric fish kept us all at the edge of our pontoon seats. Matt and his team positioned the boat and began to pull the first net. On that first pull of the smaller mesh net, about half way into it, Martin yelled, “Fish On!” Sure enough a 5-foot sturgeon was entangled in the net. They quickly pulled it onboard, untangled the sturgeon, and placed it into a large holding tank onboard his research vessel.
 
The second, larger mesh net yielded no sturgeon. As the nets were checked, they were placed back into the river for another set. While they soaked in the river, waiting for another sturgeon to swim by, Matt’s team and our team headed to Presquile Island. Matt had his equipment already set up. All the electronics and medical tools were ready to perform. After securing the boats, Matt carefully carried the sturgeon onto the shore and placed it into a large, shallow tank. Once in the tank he ran a small amount of electricity into the water, and the great fish instantly turned upside down. This process off adding a small amount of electrical current calmed the male sturgeon. 
 
Everything was ready for Matt to start the procedure of medically inserting a radio beacon tag in the sturgeon. He made a small incision on the bottom of the fish, slid the radio beacon tag into him, and sewed the incision perfectly with a series of stitches. Matt worked with the steady hands of an ichthyologist surgeon. Matt was, for the moment … the “Sturgeon General”. Once the fish was stitched, the electricity was turned off and it immediately turned upright and was ready for release. A moment later the feisty Atlantic sturgeon was again swimming in the James River preparing for a return to the sea.
 
The radio tag will track the migration of this fish for years to come, offering valuable information to Matt’s team, but also Anne’s team of science teachers. They will also study the tracking information provided by this fish and many others that Matt has already captured, tagged and released. The teachers will present the information they gain back in the classroom. 

This valuable work will not only prove to be instrumental for the Atlantic sturgeon, but also inspire future generations of ichthyologist, fishing guides, science teachers, outreach specialists and environmental researchers they present this information to the students at Prince George High School.
 
--Capt. Mike
 
The Photos Stories?  Upper Right:  The Prince George High School science teachers are watching Matt's team work the sturgeon nets just below Presquile Island on the James River.
 
Upper Left:  Matt carries the Atlantic sturgeon from the holding tank on the VCU research vessel to the holding tank on Presquile Island.  This tank is where the radio tag will be surgically implanted.  
 
Lower Right:  The PGHS team looks on as Matt locates the point of incision.  Martin Balazik, one of Matt's team members, is in the far background.
 
Middle Left:  The steady hands of the 'Sturgeon General' (Matt Balazik) sew up the incision after the raido tag had been implanted into the body cavity of the Atlantic sturgeon.  Here he is midway through tying a series of stitches.
 
Lower Left:  The happy Atlantic sturgeon is inches away from the river's surface.  Matt explained that tossing them back into the river, is the easiest way to release them.  In fact, that is how they usually hit the water when the breach.  With a little photoshop action, perhaps I can claim that I captured a sturgeon breaching and this is the fish just before it hit the water.  Hmmmmm .... looks like Matt and I may have a project for next August when these prehistoric fish return to the James River once again.  
 
 

 

Jefferson's Reach

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 14:08

October 4, 2011.  It occurred to me recently that I should reiterate the story of Jefferson's Reach, a section of the James River that runs from the Richmond Yacht Basin, to Deep Bottom Boat Landing ...  a little over five miles of river.  With a little more detail, here is the story ...

The James River is full of life, history, and opportunities including the opportunity to forge a special friendship.  In the summer of 2009 through December of 2010 I was honored with a brief but powerful friendship with Danny Jefferson.  Danny was a Chickahominy Indian, and a respected man of their Tribal Council and very active in the community.

Danny was direct, very observant, and was the kind of guy that would teach you things when you didn't even know you were learning. Something I will never forget ... the evening of December 12.  He called and said, "I saw you grow on the water this past year, I just wanted you to know that.  I saw you grow with my own eyes."  The next day, Danny walked on December 13, 2010.

He taught me a lot about bald eagles, but that evening after we talked, I realized he taught me a few things about life along the way.  Now he will forever be a part of who I am becoming on the river as he has become a spiritual river guide for me.  Because of this deep connection, I wanted to find a way to honor Danny on the River.  Something deep and spiritual because that was the kind of guy he was.

It took a few weeks, but an idea came to me and I found a way to honor Danny Jefferson in my work on the river.  People ask where I run my eagle tours and I respond, "On the James River between Deep Bottom Boat Landing and the Richmond Yacht Basin."  It's about a five-mile stretch, half of which is in the parts of two oxbows (Jones Neck and Hatcher Island) and the other half is the main river that connects them.  In that "reach" of river five pair of resident bald eagles have their nests, which are the eagles I follow most of the time. 

This is the area Danny 'reached' out to me and the lucky folks we carried out on the river on the Discovery Barge II.  

I believe naming natural things gets you closer to them; it helps them become more familiar.  The stretch of the James River between Deep Bottom and the Richmond Yacht Basin is where Danny and I worked together and it now has a name ... 'Jefferson's Reach' ... named after a Chickahominy Indian man who reached out to many on the river.  

Now when people ask where I work, I can say more than the James River, I can say, "Jefferson's Reach." Or when beginning a history or bald eagle tour, I can start by letting people know they are in Jefferson's Reach.  What a perfect segue into talking about history, eagles, and Virginia Indians.  -- Capt. Mike

The Photos Stories?  Top Right: This is an image that reminded me of Danny and the great history of the James River.  You can go back as far in time as you wish in this image.  The sunrise has not changed in eons.  This image was taken from the Richmond Yacht Basin, just outside of my boat slip. This is the upriver end, or the beginning of Jefferson's Reach.  --Photo by Capt. Mike

Bottom Left: This is the necklace Danny made and presented to me on the Discovery Barge II.  He gave it to me after one of our Capt. John Smith Watertrail Tours.  The necklace is made of bones, beads, copper, sinew, wampum and the centerpiece is a scute from an Atlantic Sturgeon.  The rattail at the top is Danny's signature.  To learn more about Atlantic Sturgeon (and the local work being done for them), click here.  To learn more about the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, click here.  --Made by Danny Jefferson

 

 

 

Interesting Observations with Bandit

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Sat, 09/24/2011 - 21:20

 

September 20, 2011. Bald Eagles are wild creatures and have to adjust to change … constantly. Bandit & Smokey are a pair of resident bald eagles who live in Jefferson’s Reach on the James River. Of the five pair of resident eagle in Jefferson’s Reach, they are perhaps, the eagles that have had to ‘adjust’ and deal with the most misfortune over the last three years. They have been plagued by their inability to build a nest in a solid location and unable to complete a successful breeding season. Today, I watched a very interesting interaction between multiple bald eagles, including Bandit & Smokey, and it has me perplexed, theorizing and hypothesizing greatly.
 
To set the stage, of what might be happening, here is a little bit of history of Bandit & Smokey ... 
 
They can build a sound nest, they just have problems with the location of where they construct it. Their nests have been shallow, ‘disk’ shaped because they have been building on the outer branches a tree. Perhaps they would do better by building in the solid location of a tree, where the truck branches off into other branches. Using the trunk and a few solid branches, bald eagles can build deeper, bowl shaped nests. 
 
Since the autumn of 2009, their nest has fallen three times. Granted, it took hurricane Irene to take out the most recent nest, but the location was on the outer limbs of a large oak tree. It lasted in those oak branches for about 18 months. I can only imagine all the windy days and storms where that nest was uncomfortably tossed around. The first time it fell, in November 2009, their next was also built in the outer limbs of an oak. They rebuilt somewhere on the interior of Hatcher Island, out of sight of the river. Their nest fell three months later near the end of February of 2010 when they would have been incubating eggs. In March of 2010, the began carrying sticks, again, in their talons and built another nest in an oak, the one which recently fell during hurricane Irene. 
 
As for Bandit & Smokey’s ability to breed successfully … in 2009, there were no immature eagles with them (I started following them in the mid summer of 2009), so I assumed they didn’t have any eaglets that year. Two years ago, their clutch was probably destroyed by the February 2010 nest falling. During this year’s breeding season, in February of 2011, a pair of intruding eagles harassed them for a number of days.  These eagles were probably trying to take over Bandit & Smokey’s territory. They would dive towards the nest over and over, eventually luring one of the eagles out to defend. At other times, the intruders would land about a hundred yards from the nest, within eyesight … looking directly at Bandit & Smokey … as if to taunt them. Bandit & Smokey would sit in their nest, crying out with stressful wails. A few days later both Bandit and Smokey were off the nest, giving up on or somehow loosing their clutch. Perhaps they were both lured off the nest and the intruders flew in crushing the eggs with their talons. It was a sad event seeing Bandit & Smokey off the nest this past February, knowing they had been diligently incubating their clutch. 
 
Today, something happened that I just couldn’t explain … yet. Bandit was in the main channel across from River’s Bend Golf Course, perched alone in the top of a dead tree. Smokey was nowhere in sight, but that is not unusual. She flew from the dead treetop into the old river channel and settled into one of her favorite perches. I pulled the Discovery Barge II near to her, tossed a fresh gizzard shad into the river and she flew down to grab it. She lifted off the branch, glided down towards the river, we heard her wings cutting through the air as she snagged the shad from the river’s surface. A swoosh and splash!
 
Once she had the fish, Bandit flew to her favorite eating location, a short, stubby branch protruding from the trunk of an oak tree. As we watched her eat, she dropped her head and let out a loud warning call as a pair of eagles flew overhead. They landed in a tree, just out of sight of Bandit and us. Bandit finished her fish then flew somewhere out of sight. The other pair of eagles flew into a nearby dead tree. Soon after, Bandit flew back into view, and came in close to the two eagles perched … as if to chase them out of her territory. One of the eagles flew off and Bandit landed next to the one that didn’t fly away. I couldn’t tell if it was her mate Smokey or another bird? Regardless, it was an odd behavior.
 
About two hours later, I came back to the same area with another group of eagle viewers. They were a knowledgeable group, many following the Norfolk Botanical Garden eagles for years. (click here to see more about NBG eagles).
 
When rounding the bend, into the old river channel, and into the heart of their territory we spotted a mature bald eagle in a tree along the riverbank. Assuming it was Bandit we proceeded upriver. Suddenly another bald eagle flew from the right bank, carrying a dead fish. This bird flew to the favorite eating location, on the stubby limb. As this eagle ate it’s fish, Bandit flew in landing next to him. This is where things gets a little weird.
 
We watched the two birds closely through binoculars when we noticed something very odd …. The bird next to Bandit looked like it had a band on it’s leg too. Bandit has a band on her right leg, hence the name … Bandit. Smokey does not have a band! This was another male bird next to her. He looked different too. This bird was bigger than Smokey. Everyone on board agreed they saw what looked like a band on the other bird’s leg. Was this a band or just a weird angle of the birds leg? After a few minutes of the birds perching next to each other, Bandit flew off the limb, spotting a dead fish, and came down to the river to scoop it up. At that point she flew back to the feeding limb and started to eat her fish next to the other eagle.
 
What was happening? Lots of unanswered questions with Bandit & Smokey. Is Bandit trying to find another mate because of the hardships they have faced as a mated pair? Is there competition between Smokey and another male bird coming into the area? Did she ‘choose’ between the two today or in the process of choosing? Something is happening here, and only time will tell. And for what is exactly happening here, only the eagles know for sure. We can only surmise and hypothesize. 
 
NOTE: September 24, 2011. I was out watching Bandit today and she was with a male bird. Nothing unusual here, but the this bird acted differently than Smokey, as he perched in new areas, including flying and walking along the rocky shore on the eastern side of the old river channel. We didn’t get a close look at him to see if he had a band. I’ll be out again tomorrow!
 
NOTE: September 25, 2011.  It is confirmed that the new bird with Bandit is a banded bird.  This is not Smokey, and it appears that he may have been chased away again this morning.  Wow, this is an amazing turn of events with Bandit.  Time to learn about a new bird, and name him too.  It's also time to say goodbye to a pretty neat bald eagle.  Smokey will be off to who knows where, looking for another mate, territory and life.  Good luck Smokey!   More to come on this ...
 
The Photo's Stories:  Top Right:  Bandit is perched in a tree, on a cool fall day. --Photo by Bob Jones Jr.
Bottom Left:  Bandit left her perch, from the top right image, flew down along the river's surface and picked up a gizzard shad.  --Photo by Bob Jones Jr.

 

A Gift from Jefferson's Reach on September 11, 2011

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Thu, 09/15/2011 - 15:12
September 11, 2011. For all of America, this is a solemn day indeed. I spoke with many friends who, in their own ways, paid respect to the fallen hero’s from the horrible events of a decade ago. For me, I spent time thinking about 9/11 with an American Icon, the bald eagle. The day would prove to be quite special.
 
It was a reflective day for those of us on the Discovery Barge II, but became a very special one, because of a certain pair of eagles. For a few years now, I’ve been observing and learning about the resident pair of bald eagles called Varina & Enon. 

I can now tell which one is Varina (female) and Enon (male). I finally found their nest this spring, which is now concealed by foliage. I have seen them communicate visually with one another (more on this in another blog post). One habit they have, which I have always wondered about is “Why this pair of eagles is sighted on the river more than any other of the Jefferson’s Reach eagles?”
 
Varina & Enon are generally perched in the treetops along the riverbanks east of the 295, Varina-Enon bridge. They are the most reliable pair of eagles in the area in regard to being sighted and are almost always visible from the river. I was curious as to why they were so often sighted so I looked at maps and Google Earth. I noticed something interesting … all the other pairs of eagles have an inland body of water to hunt within their territory as well as the James River. Whether it’s a pond, or a large area of land that was quarried for sand and gravel and is now filled with water. Or both, they all had 'other' bodies of water within their territories. Varina & Enon do not have any other body of water remotely close to what their territory may be. Not even a small pond, which means the James River is not just their primary “water based” hunting ground, it’s their only hunting ground. That would explain why they are seen on almost every bald eagle tour.
 
So why was September 11, 2011 so special? It goes back to late winter of 2010. In February and March of 2010, it was obvious Varina & Enon didn’t have any eggs on the nest, as both birds were along the river the entire time one of them should have been on the nest incubating eggs. This year, in February and March of 2011, only one bird was visible, meaning there was one on the nest, incubating. When Enon would catch a fish, he would fly back to the nest, bringing food for his eaglet(s). These habits indicated they were in the process of raising young.

By mid-June the eaglets of Jefferson’s Reach fledge, or fly for the first time. I saw the eaglets of three other pair flying around by mid-June. While viewing Varina & Enon in mid-June of this year, I saw an immature bird fly out from the tree line, over the river, and quickly headed back over the tree line, out of sight. That was the only sighting of their eaglet for almost three months. 

Over the summer, Varina & Enon, perched in their normal spots but would face away from the river, looking to the southwest instead of looking towards the river, hunting for food. I had always assumed they faced southwest to watch their eaglet, trying to get it to come out to the river. Months passed and they continued to look southwest from the treetops. About the first week of September, they had turned and started to face the river on a regular basis, and it was at that point I assumed something must have happened to their eaglet, that it had not made it. After all, it made no appearances along the river, while the other eaglets of Jefferson’s Reach were out on a regular basis, learning to catch fish.
 
On September 11, 2011 something unexpected and wonderful happened. Varina & Enon were gliding, circling a dead shad on the river’s surface. They’d dive down towards it, swooping within inches, but never grabbing it. They kept swooping down again and again. Granted, these two birds are called the “dancers” of Jefferson’s Reach, because they seem to love to fly around together close to the water, but in this case they were deliberately not grabbing the shad. While hypothesizing about why they were acting that way, all of the sudden, a third bird flew out over the tree line. A young bird, a Jefferson’s Reach eaglet of 2011 started to fly with Varina & Enon. The parents each dove once more towards the shad when the eaglet began to glide in circles, looking down at the shad, tucked it’s wings a bit, dropped with talons exposed and slid right in for a perfect “snatch” of the dead gizzard shad. Without too much effort, the eaglet flew across the river, north, towards Varina Plantation, with the shad pierced in its talons, landing in a tree to eat its meal. Varina & Enon’s little eaglet was alive and well.
 
Wow, what a memorable moment that was. To go from thinking Varina & Enon had somehow lost their chick to seeing it out of nowhere and having wonderful photographers on board to capture the moment on film (or should I say 'media card'). Once realizing a new bird was found in Jefferson’s Reach, the guests onboard had the opportunity to name the bird. It didn’t take long before they decided to call the eaglet “Liberty” in memory of the day. I don’t think anything any better could have happened on the river that day. Thank you Varina, Enon & Liberty! I can’t wait to see you this weekend. 
 

-- Capt. Mike 

 

The Photo's Stories?  Top Left & Top Right:  Just about the moment we were realizing the bird we were viewing was Varina & Enon's eaglet, John Lewis started to photograph her.  Here are two wonderful images of Liberty.  Enjoy.  -- Photos by John Lewis.  To see more of John's work, click here.

Bottom Left:  A three quarter moon in the background glows in the early evening sun as Varina, the proud parent of Liberty, perches high on the branch of dead tree.  Notice how she is facing southwest, but she turned for the photo.  Good girl.  -- Photo by Lynda Richardson.  To see more of Lynda's work, click here.

Hurricane Irene and the Bald Eagles of Jefferson's Reach

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Sat, 09/10/2011 - 22:19

 September 6, 2011. Hurricane Irene did quite a bit of damage to eagle’s nests on the tidal James River, knocking many of them completely out of the trees. I spoke with Dr. Bryan Watts from the Center For Conservation Biology at William & Mary, who is a leading bald eagle researcher. He said a recent aerial review of eagle nests in the lower James River showed a high number were blown down, especially around the Hopewell area. The territorial, resident, eagles will more than likely rebuild close to where their nests were, but time will tell.  

Jefferson’s Reach is a few miles upriver of Hopewell, and the five pair of resident eagles had a rough time. Two visible nests have damage. Trees currently conceal two other nests (these become visible when the leaves fall from the trees, usually by mid-November). The fifth nest is too far from the river to be seen at any time of the year.
 
Bandit & Smokey and Baba & Pops live in the visible nests. Bandit & Smokey’s nest is completely gone while the other is nearly destroyed. Baba & Pops’ nest started to fall about a month ago and the hurricane knocked half of the nest out of the tree. I have not seen Baba & Pops since the storm, and remain hopeful they are ok (NOTE: I saw one of them today, September 10, on an eagle tour this morning. It was a great sight to see one of the mature eagles with this year’s offspring). The last time their nest fell was almost two years ago and they rebuilt in the same tree … and will hopefully do the same again.   A few days after the hurricane, I took the Discovery Barge II over a mudflat and tied up to shore, walked through a swamp and up a hill to get to Baba & Pops’ fallen nest. I found a pile of sticks from the half of the nest at the base of the pine tree. I picked up three “eagle branches” from the ground to bring back to the boat and use to show what bald eagles make their nests with. The nest that fell two years ago was also there, in a mound, covered by pine needles. 
 
Bandit & Smokey completely lost their nest, including snapped limbs around the perimeter of where it used to be. This is the third time in the last two years their nest fell. The first time was in October ‘09 and they rebuilt further inland, out of sight from the river. It apparently fell again in February ’10 because they rebuilt again in a large oak tree next to the river. The sad part of this nest falling in February was they would have been incubating their eggs, and lost them. I am surprised this most recent nest lasted for so long as it was built on the outer limbs of the oak tree and held on for almost a year and a half.
 
Of the remaining three pair of eagles, two of the three pair have of the same flight patterns, hopefully meaning their nests are in still usable. Virginia & James’ nest is blocked by a stand of pine trees, and would have been on the leeward side of the storm. Their nest probably had the best chance of any of the eagles of Jefferson’s Reach. Varina & Enon’s nest is far off the riverbank, but visible in the fall. They have a huge nest that would have taken the brunt of the northerly winds during Irene. Rebecca & John’s nest is far off of the river, and only they know whether it is still standing. Their nest used to be on Jones Neck Island, but they rebuilt on the western shore of the mainland, on Varina Farms over this past winter of 2010-11. Right now their flight patterns take them to the site of their current nest. Time will tell.
 
Note: There is an article in today’s (September 10, 2011) Richmond Times Dispatch on this subject. Click here to view. –Capt. Mike
 
The Photo's Stories:  Above Left:  This is the half of Baba & Pops' nest that recently fell.  You can see there is a pile of fresh eagle branches scattered all around the ground.  Some of the pine needles may have been from the inside base of the nest.   -- Photo by Capt. Mike 
 
Below, right:  Looking past the recently fallen branches (on top) you can see the old nest that fell nearly two years ago.  It is covered in pine needles and hard to see, but two years ago the entire nest fell, landing upside down.  A huge pine branch, one of the main branches that was holding up the nest, snapped and the result was a complete loss for the eagle's nest.  It fell in early November of 2009, and the pair immediately started to rebuild.  Each of the last two years they had successful breeding seasons, raising one eaglet each in 2010 and 2011.  -- Photo by Capt. Mike 
 

Sturgeon & Eagles

Submitted by Capt. Mike on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 13:22

August 19, 2011.  Phenomenon is not the right word, but it's close.  An event has taken place on the James River for eons, and over the last couple of years has regained a lot of attention.  Beginning in late August and lasting into October, one of the oldest fish species in the world returns to the James River, while in almost all of their historic habitats, there are none returning or present.  Universities and federal government agencies are paying close attention to this, and so am I.

Of course, we are talking about Atlantic Sturgeon.

Sturgeon in the James River have a long history ... more than we will ever know.  Over 400 years ago, during early colonial days sturgeon were caught and eaten, saving some colonists from starvation. At that time, these fish grew to 14 feet or more, and weighed over 800 pounds. Once established as a food source, catch rates kept climbing and overfishing lasted into the 1890's, when the harvest peaked.  By 1900 the population crashed and continued to decline because of pollution and habitat destruction.  

But today they are noticeably back.  In fact they are back right now and in the process of possibly spawning (researchers are trying to find out if, in fact, they are spawning this time of year. Historically they have been springtime spawners).  While they are in the river, sturgeon offer incredible visual acrobatics, called "breaching"  When a sturgeon breaches it rockets out of the water, leaping into the air and then crashing down on its side, back into the river.  You generally hear more than you see, but with a slow cruise along certain parts of the river your chances are pretty good you will see one or two.  When you see a sturgeon breach, it looks like a 10 foot section of telephone pole comes out of the river and is dropped on it's side from 15 feet in the air.   

There are plenty of theories why sturgeon breach, but scientists don't really know why the do it.  But they do know one thing ... when a sturgeon breaches .... it's amazing.  Smaller than their historic sizes, Atlantic sturgeon today can grow to nine feet and weigh over 300 pounds. Most fish are males in the five to six foot range, and weigh around 100 pounds.

Like bald eagles, this species has given researchers, and river lovers something to talk about and investigate.  There is a great amount of research going on up and down the East Coast on sturgeon and Matt Balazik, a biologist and sturgeon researcher, from Virginia Commonwealth University, continues to be a leader in this field.  He recently began his late summer/fall river work with Atlantic Sturgeon and will now spend many days a week out on the James, from the City of Richmond well down below Hopewell searching for and capturing as many as possible, to weigh, tag and release.  VCU has been a leader in getting research dollars funneled towards restoration of Atlantic Sturgeon on the James River.  

For a short time, Discover The James will offer Sturgeon & Eagle Tours on every bald eagle tour taken.  There is about a mile stretch of river in Jefferson's Reach that Atlantic Stureon have been populating during this possible spawning season.  Why are they there?  Well there are theories, and I have one that Matt shared with me, but you'll have to come out on the boat to find out.  --Capt. Mike

The Photos Stories?  Top Right:  Here Matt Balazik is holding one of the biggest Atlantic sturgeon he'd ever seen.  More than likely this is a female because of her size.  Estimated at over 300 pounds and more than seven feet long, this sturgeon was released safely back into the James to continue on her way.  Photo credit:  VCU/Center for Environmental Studies.

Bottom Left:  August 18, 2011 ... the first sturgeon capture of the late summer/fall season.  I spoke with Matt soon after this first fish was caught and he mentioned that two of the sturgeon he had caught and tagged last year have been recorded passing by Jamestown, verified returns to the James River.  This data is received via a combination of a tag on the fish, a receiver on a channel marker buoy in the river, and this data transferred via satellite in real time.  Good stuff.  Photo credit:  VCU/Center for Environmental Studies.

For more into on VCU's Atlantic Sturgeon Research, click here.

For a short story on one of the most interesting events I have ever seen on the James, click here.