Saturday, 27 April 2013
A lot has happened in the past month. The alligators are bellowing every morning now and sometimes even throughout the day. Most of the Great Egrets have grown up chicks by now, though some have eggs or small chicks still. Two males were even displaying late in the day. The Snowy Egrets seem to be split into two waves: some have large chicks while some are on eggs. Many of the Tri-colored Herons are on eggs but a few are still nest building and a couple nests do have chicks already. There are many Cattle Egrets on eggs and so far, I haven’t seen any hatched out. Some of them still have great color on their face. The three large Cypress trees in the northern part of the marsh each have a couple Double-crested Cormorant nests. One of these nests is very visible from the top of the marsh tower. The Wood Storks and Anhinga’s chicks are getting big and some are starting to lose their fluff. The Little Blue Herons are active and visible but their nests must be hidden on the east edge of the marsh. Other sightings for the day include Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, 1 Roseate Spoonbill, 2 Glossy Ibis, and Boat-tailed Grackles. The male grackles are very territorial and watch the females closely. I bet there are nests hidden down low in the Taro plants. See you soon!
Adam Hall
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