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 other two are doing fine. They’ve not only moved off the nest but off the tree that the nest was in.

Here’s one of the pair in a Groundsel Tree (both birds are present, the second is out of frame to the left).
Here’s another view of the siblings from the rear, huddled up to one another after a rainy night. Note the wing feathers hanging down behind the bird on the right, like the tails on a tuxedo (8/2/13).

The birds, as you may have noticed from the photos, are beginning to take on a more heron like appearance, still pretty scrufty, but the down is being replaced by “real” feathers. It won’t be long before they start flying. They’re already flapping their wings as they walk along the branches.

Here’s what they looked like on Saturday (8/3/13).

The two siblings in the first nest are experimenting with walking the tree limbs (8/3/13).
The four nestlings in the nest next to the Wetlands Overlook remain close to the nest (8/3/13).

And that’s the news for now.

2 responses to What are the herons up to?

  1. Ranger Ro says:

    I saw the two of them on Sunday on the branch below the nest, it was very cool to watch them navigate through the tree.

    • Greg Dodge says:

      Yes, it is very cool! What’s really exciting is to watch their development on a daily basis.
      Thanks,

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