Green Night Heron fledglings, May 22, 2020
Questions not crafted by me, but offered by wise friends, often arise while watching birds. Today, when I saw these two Green Heron fledglings branching and exploring, the question that arose was: “What do you have confidence in?”
These young herons might respond, we have confidence in ourselves and each other. I thought this when one decided to climb down a steep branch towards the water
After a few steps, fledgling turned around and touched beaks with its sibling.
Then, as if gaining confidence from that connection, it began the descent. Sibling stretched to offer a neck nibble, seemingly in encouragement.
I took these photographs soon after the sun rose. With the light quality, the birds appear integrated with their environment, an aspect of nesting perhaps instinctually chosen by their parents. This means I need to carefully look when I hear their squawky call.
May 15, 2020
A week earlier. Green Heron looks up at as a Spoonbill Roseate flies by.
Did you know?
Altricial birds include passerine birds, hummingbirds, swallows, woodpeckers, among others. Precocial birds (also known as nidifugous birds) are those that are born with open eyes, a well-developed down cover, and leave the nest within a day or two after hatching. Green Heron chicks are altricial. That means they depend on their parents for a period of time for survival. (The following photo of Green Heron chicks is by South Florida Water Management District (CC BY-ND 2.0) and accessed via Birdorable.
