I didn't know herons grew in trees.
Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 11:39 pm
Found a green heron nest about a quarter mile from a local river. Mama was awkwardly stilting around the tree trying to pull twigs off to add to the nest, and three fledgelings were sitting nearby.
I always thought herons must nest in the forks of dead trees or something, on stable platforms, but this was a nest supported by fairly thin branches in a small, live tree. Mama certainly wasn't having an easy time of walking around, her toes couldn't curl under the branches like how songbirds grip on, but she managed. I'm not sure if she really liked the spot or just couldn't find anything any better.
I apologize for the photo quality, my phone didn't like being pointed directly up at the light with the trees under it, but here's the best I could manage.
Here's the mama. You can tell she's the adult because she has an orange belly and is nice and smooth.
This is the baby that was sitting in a spot I could stand under. Short wings, fluff sticking out between feathers, paler colors because it hasn't grown out of the "ungainly ball of fluff" stage quite yet.
I always thought herons must nest in the forks of dead trees or something, on stable platforms, but this was a nest supported by fairly thin branches in a small, live tree. Mama certainly wasn't having an easy time of walking around, her toes couldn't curl under the branches like how songbirds grip on, but she managed. I'm not sure if she really liked the spot or just couldn't find anything any better.
I apologize for the photo quality, my phone didn't like being pointed directly up at the light with the trees under it, but here's the best I could manage.
Here's the mama. You can tell she's the adult because she has an orange belly and is nice and smooth.
This is the baby that was sitting in a spot I could stand under. Short wings, fluff sticking out between feathers, paler colors because it hasn't grown out of the "ungainly ball of fluff" stage quite yet.
