May 27, 2022
Two weeks ago I checked one of the Yellow Crowned Night Heron nests. I arrived just as the female parent was flying in to feed the chicks.
The arrival signaled to the other parent that it could leave.
With a whoop (of thanks?), off it went!
The chicks appeared as sunshine fluff balls.
Visiting today, the chicks had already been fed. Look at the growth in two weeks!
They're playful!
This next bit - skip if you're afraid of snakes (Betty, that's you 💛).
First, I say again how important snakes are to our environment. Besides bird food, they maintain the vermin population - without having to use poisons that are harmful all the way up the food chain.
Though fiddler food is the YCNH's fave, a non-venomous Scarlet Kingsnake is tasty too. It almost reached the nest. (Not living, disposed of.) I found it under the nest.
