In the rookery tree, you can see two of the nests. The upper nest has 4 chicks waiting for the arrival of a parent and their breakfast; their interest is glued to the nest below them. The lower nest has a parent that is feeding its 4 young by regurgitating fish and letting the chicks grab its bill and a mouthful of food. Eventually the 4 downstairs chicks are fed and the family sets about grooming and exploring.
I have to wonder two things: with all the sharp bills, how are injuries avoided and how do 5 large birds not fall off the edge of the small nest. The bills and nest must work: we thankfully still have lots of the fascinating herons around to amaze us.
neighdoctor
Authorgreat blue heron families, upstairs and down
In the lower nest, the parent has arrived with food for the chicks. The chicks in the upper nest watch with interest while waiting for their own food arrival. See video of the downstairs chicks being fed at http://youtu.be/GDHLzUnB3LM
white-eyed vireo
startling look that goes with the vireo’s wonderful song
mallard hens
this pair of mallard hens lifted from the lake and easily graced my vision as they flew past
eastern kingbird
soft as a butterfly this eastern kingbird landed at the top of a nearby pine tree
American redstart
Bounce, bounce, zoom, zoom in the shadows – the American redstart didn’t stand still long for my camera. In more than an hour of standing still in my own set of shadows, I only saw a redstart out in the sun twice. As you can see, the photo I am sharing with you was taken in the shade.
doc ellen's journey 