Springing Forward

There’s been so much happening in the Wild lately that it’s difficult to keep up, to stay on top of the reporting of said happenings. Here’s a quick update. If you remember, there were two successful Green Heron nests in our Wetlands last year. We’re hoping to have a repeat. Last Saturday two of the small, somewhat green herons appeared. I’ve seen one or two each day since, so maybe a redo of last year’s events is forthcoming. The firstRead more

They’re on their own.

Our green herons are now on their own. I saw one bird at its nest tree this morning (8/24), but they are all free flying birds and have been experimenting with different fishing sites around the Wetlands. Here’s some photos of the crew. The rest of the images are from August, 24, a Saturday. I’m assuming that all seven of the herons fledged. The most I was able to see at any one time was five and they were spreadRead more

Green Herons Ready for Action!

I’ve been off for several days but I felt compelled to come in briefly last Thursday (8/15) to see how the herons were doing. They’re doing fine and seem to be ready to go. The birds are still hanging around the nest tree but both groups of herons look able to fend for themselves, almost. On to the second nest, the nest next to the Wetlands Overlook. On August 10, the birds appeared to have quite a way to goRead more

Green Herons soon to be hunting on their own.

When I checked on our green herons this past Tuesday morning (8/6) I found one leaning over a branch of its birth tree staring down at the water. Was the bird admiring its reflection or was it feeling the urge to hunt? I suspect it was watching for little minnows and tadpoles in the water below, although I could be wrong. As I walked the boardwalk to the other side of the tree its sibling was peacefully perched and staringRead more

What are the herons up to?

I’ve not been able to locate one of the nestlings in the first heron nest. Originally there were three nestlings. I’ve only seen two nestlings since the birds moved off the nest. Two of the birds hatched earlier and so were larger. At one point I witnessed the two larger birds pushing the smaller nestling to the edge of the nest. Perhaps that’s what happened to the third bird, it was pushed over the side. On a brighter note, the otherRead more

Where’s the Herons, Cardinals, and oh yeah, the Kingfishers?

I was a little apprehensive as I made my way over to the Wetlands Overlook on Tuesday morning. I missed two days of observation due to the weekend off (Sunday & Monday). A lot can happen in the lives of nestlings in two days. A quick scan with my binoculars (bins) lessened my anxiety. The four nestlings, although they looked different (they were growing feathers through their fluffy down), were all there and looked healthy. On to the other nest,Read more

Eggs Hatch!

Things can change quickly in the wild. This morning, I posted about the heron nests in the Wetlands and how one nest had what looked like three eggs. Since then, and twenty-one days from the day that I first noticed eggs in that nest (NS1), at least one of the eggs has hatched. While walking past the nest, I noticed a change in posture of the sitting heron, it was now standing at the nest consistently looking down into the nest. ThroughRead more

Nest Who?

OK, no more rain for a while…but the HEAT! I don’t feel so bad, though, when I look out over the water of the Wetlands and into one of the heron nests. The birds steadfastly hold their positions shielding their eggs from the blaring sun, getting up only to change position or move the eggs around bit. Eggs not only need to be protected from the cold, heat can actually cook the eggs in their shells. The birds have toRead more

Green Heron Nests Discovered in Wetlands!

Green herons are in no way rare or even uncommon in our area. Here at the Museum they arrive in our Wetlands sometime in mid April and usually depart for points south sometime around the end of September. I’ve suspected they’ve nesting here at the Museum for some time but hadn’t found a nest. They can be very secretive about their nests. But, they can also be very conspicuous in their nesting activities. Tuesday (6/25) as I was walking down theRead more