Opening with very young wings.
I haven't yet said that the Barred Owl pair shares territory with the Yellow-Crowned Night Herons. As I approach the nest early mornings, I hold my breath hoping there continues to be room for all of us. Seeing this chick do what it inherently knows to do encourages me to carry on with whatever this day brings.
A few things are different this YCNH breeding season:
The YCNH chicks are often alone.
This differs from past years where one adult would stay at the nest and one would forage and return to feed the chicks.
The adult YCNHs are not building the nest edges higher.
YCNH pair would at this point in the raising-young-process be gathering live twigs to weave the nest higher (like making a play pen) as the rambunctious and not quite skilled chicks flap-hop in the nest. I have not seen much of this behavior.
Perhaps the new owl neighbors affect the herons.
So, look at this pose:
I see in heron's outstretched wings a heart. My thought - in times of difficulty (for example, herons having a Barred Owl neighbor) the only sane response is love. This YCNH chick notices.
That's one chick, but I know there are at least 3 in this nest. How can I be sure? I count beaks.
I leave with a thought that all is well for both herons and Barred Owl(s).
What owl you ask?
This one. Neighbor Marc Holtsberg took these gorgeous photos of one of the two resident Barred Owls.
A Northern Cardinal (molting).
A male Red-bellied Woodpecker
A Pileated Woodpecker (one of the 4 reported here recently) briefly still and then noisily flitting about on an insect hunt.
One more time I swung by the Slash Pine to check the YCNH chicks. I saw but was not quick enough to get you a photo of a pair of Downy Woodpeckers - the smaller-billed woodpecker.
But, wow, I did get this photo of visitors in the same Slash Pine as the herons: Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks! See why the black-belly name?
Besides bird sightings, I love when I see neighbors along the way. I met Lawrence, WWS1 security person. He told me about seeing a fox in the Springdale and Sherwood backyard areas. This was the best news! I would love to photograph a resident fox.
I also said hello to Cali (Calliope) and her sweet dog Diamond and met Paula who lives in Pinehurst and her visitor, Steff from the Central Park area of New York City. Paula, Steff and I were mesmerized by a napping Spoonbill Roseate - a special spoonbill, the one with a leg injury. I've photographed this spoonbill for three seasons. Precious bird and neighbor connections.
June 1, 2021
