Re-Nesting !

 Jul 25, 2023


As speculated last time, several nests have been re-utilized and new nestlings observed. Above we see some of the new kids on the block, with a hint of an egg at their feet. It turns out that there are actually 3 chicks along with the afore-mentioned egg. An alert reader suggested that they be named after New Kids on the Block and helpfully provided the list of names. Since there are only 3 (vs 5 in the group), we'll stick to the "J" names for consistency - so say hello to Jonathan, Jordan and (out of view) Joey.

 

These are Little Blue Herons (LBH), same as the previous occupants. It's quite possible that the parents are the same as before, but it's really difficult to distinguish that. In the next photo you can see all 3 of them about a week later.

Since the chick in the bottom of the frame is smaller than the others, we'll assume he's Joey - the one out of view in the first photo. Here the egg is much more obvious, and I watched Joey kicking it around in the nest for a while. Apparently he achieved his goal of kicking it over the edge, since this was the last time I ever saw it.

Here, on the northern side of the Mangrove, is one of the remaining nestlings from the group of Groucho, Chico and Harpo. Although still seriously in need of some hair gel, you can see that the body feathers are well-formed and complete, and all of them have been flying but still returning to the tree at night.


I have counted a total of 8 TCH's (Tri-Colored Herons) who are now all out flying and hunting on the shore right below their nests. They blend in pretty well, which I guess is the point. The grayish feathers on their bodies will get more blue-gray as they mature and the rust color on the neck will also disappear.

In the Mangrove that we have mostly been watching, there has been evidence of another nest deep into the leaves. I've suspected another TCH nest; they have historically been the last to let themselves be seen. I've never see a TCH chick in the small size of the LBH chicks that I see routinely. So today, they finally emerged, and it IS a TCH nest. 3 juvies were all visible, a little smaller than the one above, and they are clearly very close to flight. That brings the informal census of new TCH additions up to 11!

Remember Waldo and Waldon't? Waldo has shown up a few times in the last couple weeks (I'm assuming it's Waldo, anyway).


Fully adult sized now, but not yet with adult markings, GBH's typically chase their offspring away when they get large. This reduces competition for resources.

 So, it appears that we are really approaching the end of this avian nesting season. But, Mama Gator below will be nesting soon. We saw her last babies on Thanksgiving 2022. Any remaining from then are now on their own and I've seen a few very small gators swimming by on occasion.




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