Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve
June 29th & 30th 2010
We had two more walks at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve that were full of activity.
Red-winged Blackbirds were seen everywhere on our walks.
Flycatchers were found along the way.
American Goldfinches were busy as well. We watched a female gathering spider webs from a hole in a post while her mate watched closely.
Mallards paddled along on the water.
An Otter swam past with a fish in its mouth.
Lots of little Cottontail Rabbits were seen on the way.
American Robins were found everywhere.
A set of fledgling Barn Swallows vied for attention from very doting parents.
Cedar Waxwings looked beautiful as they always do.
A few White-crowned Sparrows were seen on our walks.
A male Common Yellowthroat hardly paused in his search for insects.
The juvenile Great Blue Herons are leaving the nests. There are still a few left in the nests demanding the attention of the adults. When we walked along the dyke road next to the Heronry, we watched as one after another, young juvenile Great Blue Herons, flew from the security of the nests into the new world of fending for themselves. These birds look full grown and yet they are only between 8 to 10 weeks old. We recognize the differences between the adults and the juveniles by the caps on the heads and the neck markings. The juveniles will have dark caps; the really young ones will have a frosting of white tips on the dark caps. They will carry the dark cap for a year before starting to show a white part in the middle. The juveniles also have striped necks. There were areas where there were a few dozen all standing together. We enjoyed watching their attempts at fishing and sparring with each other.
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We stopped for enjoyable visits with Barb, Ivy, Val, Dylan, Olivier, Michelle, Marla and Janet at the Rotary Interpretive Centre and also a nice visit with Wayne at the main bridge.
We are not authorities on birds, wildlife, plants, cameras or photography, if you are doing research on any subjects, please refer to a more educational site for advice and double-check whatever you research.
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