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bald eagle nest near Mackeys, Washington Co., NC



Hi, all.
On Friday, 4/28, Kathy Roggenkamp, Anne Beckwith and I were paddling our
kayaks on Kendrick Creek (or Mackeys Creek) after putting in at the Hwy. 308
bridge in Washington County, NC, near the village of Mackey on the Albemarle
Sound. We headed upstream. About  0.75 mile south of the highway bridge we
spotted a bald eagle's nest on the right bank in a large loblolly pine on
the water's edge. The eagle first attracted our attention when it happened
to fly over us. We watched it circle before we saw the nest. The bird seemed
unwilling to settle on the nest with us around, so we realized we needed to
leave, and we went on upstream. When we came back down (in steady, cold
rain!) the eagle was sitting on her nest and did not get up as we quietly
paddled by. We were thrilled with this find. It was the most exciting bird
of the weekend and an ample reward for paddling in the rain.

The put-in for this creek is difficult at the highway bridge -- not much
road shoulder and there's a steep, weedy slope. We actually found a point
some yards east where we put into a canal that parallels the road. 

Kendrick Creek (Mackeys Creek in the state highway map book) is one of the
28 canoe and small boat trails of the Albemarle system, and we found it on a
map that is available from the state. We also paddled 2 other trails on that
map:  the Upper Scuppernong and Conaby Creek at the Plymouth end. All
wonderful. 

Ginger_Travis@unc.edu
a swamp-rat wannbe!
Chapel Hill