Sunday, 18 March 2012
Our first Great Egret chicks look like small adults now but it’ll still be a few weeks until they’re ready to fledge. Dozens of nests have eggs and/or chicks and there are still some unpaired adults displaying. I also noticed that we have lost a few chicks along the way; payment for the gators security services I guess. One nest at the north end has three large chicks and the parents are building the nest larger. I’m going to watch to see if this is something all pairs do or if they need to expand because all three chicks are large and healthy. The Snowy Egrets are by far the most vocal and active. They chase each other and make all their funny sounds. Many have eggs but no chicks yet. The Tri-colored Herons are doing very well. Many have eggs; one nest was reported to have four eggs. I saw an adult displaying by pointing his beak straight up and clapping it repeatedly. The Cattle Egrets are moving in steadily and there are a few nests on the north edge with adults lying down. The Wood Storks are still building nests. They grab bare sticks like the egrets but they also use leafy vines that look great in flight photos. The Anhinga’s are still keeping their eggs warm but I didn’t detect any hatchlings. Other birds to note: a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Ospreys, six Swallow-tailed Kites, and one Roseate Spoonbill that flew around and landed on the east edge. The gators are more active with the warm weather. The big males bellow often in the mornings and I noticed that their first two or three are the most impressive. Lastly, I noticed that the Boat-tailed Grackle nest that I wrote about two weeks ago apparently was the perfect foundation for a pair of Tri-colored Herons to build their nest on. Location, location, location, isn’t that right?
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