Current Lake Norman Weather
About my web camsI have several webcams. You may see a wild bird feeder, a humming bird feeder, my backyard, and Washam Street. Cameras can be set to scan 180 degrees.
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NC State Bird
The cardinal was selected by popular choice as the State Bird on March 4, 1943. The Cardinal is sometimes called the Winter Redbird because it is most noticeable during the winter when it is the only "redbird" present. A year-round resident of North Carolina, the Cardinal is one of the most common birds in the gardens, meadows, and woodlands. The male Cardinal is red all over, except for the area of its throat and the region around its bill which is black; it is about the size of a Catbird only with a longer tail. The head is conspicuously crested and the large stout bill is red.
The female is much duller in color with the red confined mostly to the crest, wings, and tail. This difference in coloring is common among many birds. Since it is the female that sits on the nest, her coloring must blend more with her natural surroundings to protect her eggs and young from predators. There are no seasonal changes in her plumage. The Cardinal is a fine singer, and what is unusual is that the female sings as beautifully as the male. The male generally monopolizes the art of song in the bird world. The nest of the Cardinal is rather an untidy affair built of weed stems, grass and similar materials in low shrubs, small trees or bunches of briars, generally not over four feet above the ground. The usual number of eggs set is three in this state and four further north. The Cardinal is by nature a seed eater, but he does not dislike small fruits and insects.
Lake Norman North Carolina
Lake Norman, the state's largest manmade lake was impounded in the early 1960's. Located northwest of Charlotte, NC and southwest of Statesville, NC, Lake Norman rambles close to Interstate 77. Today, Lake Norman stretches 34 miles from Cowans Ford Dam on the southern end to the tailrace of Lookout Lake at the northern end. Lake Norman is 7 miles wide at the widest point. Enough concrete was poured in the construction of Cowans Ford Dam to build a sidewalk 3 feet wide, and 6 inches thick from here to California. The lake provides plenty of room to stretch out and relax, with a surface area of 32,510 acres and a shoreline of approximately 520 miles. Several parks in Mecklenburg and southern Iredell County offer public access for swimming and boating.
Lake Norman was created when Duke Power Co. dammed the Catawba River to generate hydroelectric power. Duke operates three power plants on the lake; McGuire Nuclear Station, Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station.(Highway 73 West of Interstate 77) and Marshall Steam Station (Highway 150 West of Interstate 77) Lake Norman's shoreline rambles through Mecklenburg, Iredell, Catawba and Lincoln counties. The Catawba River meanders through the Carolinas for 450 miles, becoming the Wateree, the Santee and, finally, the Cooper River just before it flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Charleston SC.
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