Category Archives: Juvenile Birds

Turkey Vulture Chicks

I mentioned in a previous post that the Center for Birds of Prey has hosted two wild Black Vulture nests this year.

The Vulture parents picked spots in between the captive birds’ enclosures, which mimic the dark recess they might find in the wild. The female lays her eggs on the ground.

Black Vulture Chicks
Black Vulture Chicks, not yet fledged

The juveniles’ feathers were transitioning from chick fluff, making them look a bit scruffy.

Black Vulture Chicks
Black Vulture Chicks

The Center for Birds of Prey,  Awenda, SC
June 24, 2021

Juvenile Little Blue Heron: Wait For Me!

A juvenile Little Blue Heron learning to fly landed in a pine tree right above me when he veered away from the pond. I didn’t see the landing but it didn’t sound graceful as he flapped around.

Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Juvenile Little Blue Heron

He wasn’t sure what to do next and the adult that had been leading him down the pond had kept on going.

Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Juvenile Little Blue Heron

After a minute he figured out he’d been left behind and went off in the same direction as his parent and a sibling.

Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Juvenile Little Blue Heron

We don’t have as good a view of the Little Blue Herons learning to fly this summer because of the position of the nests but the glimpses we get are entertaining.

Great Egret Triplet Chicks

The chicks have little control over their movements, they flop around the nest fighting to stay upright.

Great Egret Triplet Chicks
Great Egret Triplet Chicks

I marvel every year I watch this that any of them manage to stay in the nest.

Great Egret Triplet Chicks
Great Egret Triplet Chicks

The adults never take action to reign them in, but do provide some protection when they are this age from attackers.

Great Egret Triplet Chicks
Great Egret Triplet Chicks

5/22/2019

Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron

This young Yellow-crowned Night Heron was concentrating, although it was hard to say on what. His perch of a dead limb was hanging over a pond where he could go fishing, but he didn’t seem to be watching the water.

Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron

I watched awhile to see if he would come out into the brighter light. He was content to stay where the overhang of a larger tree provided some shade, occasionally changing direction and practicing the heron “standing still” skill.

Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Little Blue Heron Teaching Flying

Adult Little Blue Herons actively teach their young how to fly, encouraging them to take off by demonstrating and often tempting them to the end of branches with food. This adult and the juvenile on the right had their legs intertwined so I thought for sure the juvenile would launch.

Juvenile Little Blue Herons
Juvenile Little Blue Herons with Adult

The juvenile of this trio on the left had at least a short hop down as he arrived from a nearby tree after I started taking these images. The adult took off.

Juvenile Little Blue Herons
Juvenile Little Blue Herons

None of the three juveniles followed the parent.

Juvenile Little Blue Herons
Juvenile Little Blue Herons

After a little squabble the three settled down to wait for the adult to return for another try.

Juvenile Little Blue Herons
Juvenile Little Blue Herons

7/10/2018

Juvenile Black Vulture

As we approached the turnaround on one of the dikes in the wildlife management area we were visiting a juvenile Black Vulture stood in the middle of the road. Unfortunately he showed no fear of our car or us and only hopped along a few feet.

Ted finally got out of the car to gently urge him out of the driveway and he flapped/hopped up onto the gate, allowing me to turn the car without worrying about hitting him.

Juvenile Black Vulture
Juvenile Black Vulture

His still fuzzy head and hopping rather than flying identifies him as a juvenile. We walked around the opposite end of the gate and went on our way.

Juvenile Black Vulture
Juvenile Black Vulture

When we returned twenty minutes later he had relocated to the other end of the gate.

Juvenile Black Vulture
Juvenile Black Vulture

Quite regal looking, he ignored us as we passed back by and I saw him still there in the rear-view mirror as we drove away.

Juvenile Black Vulture
Juvenile Black Vulture

Nesting Season Winding Down

The Great Blue Herons have all fledged and have mostly left the rookery area. A few later starting Great Egrets chicks are still around, but they have grown to almost adult size and won’t be around much longer.

This pair looks a little goofy as they look around on a hot day.

Great Egret Chicks
Great Egret chick pair breathing heavy in the heat

Some of the Great Egret chicks are showing a lot of interest in the world beyond their nest and they have spread out into the space vacated by the Great Blue Heron chick.

Tree Full of Great Egret Chicks
Tree Full of Great Egret chicks

Another Episode of “I Can Fly”

I’m not sure which one of this pair actually took the flight; it was about five minutes after this first image that I noticed that one of them was gone.

Pair of Great Blue Heron Chicks
Pair of Great Blue Heron Chicks

The one left behind definitely noticed. “Hey, where’d my brother go?”

Great Blue Heron Chick
Great Blue Heron Chick

Not far as it turns out, on that first hop.

Pair of Great Blue Heron Chicks
Pair of Great Blue Heron Chicks

Oooh, that was fun!

Great Blue Heron Chick
Great Blue Heron Chick

Now what do I do?

Great Blue Heron Chick
Great Blue Heron Chick

He eventually made his way to the top of this branch and took off, After circling around the back side of the island he returned to the nest, a real flight!

Canada Goose Goslings

A Canada Goose family was  wandering through the edge of the cypress swamp, with the goslings foraging for food under the watchful eyes of their parents.

Canada Goose Gosling
Canada Goose Gosling

It was a cloudy morning and there was a full canopy above us so the  images had a very high ISO. I reduced the noise and clarity which gave the youngsters a soft look that I found appealing.

Canada Goose Goslings
Canada Goose Goslings

They stayed surprisingly close to the boardwalk even as we approached, but before long the adults steered their charges back into the water.

Canada Goose Goslings
Canada Goose Goslings

Click on any image for a larger view.

Three Disappointed Anhinga Chicks

These three chicks really look like Anhingas now, with the classic black and white “piano key” feathers on their wings.

Three Anhinga Chicks
Three Anhinga Chicks

Like the wading bird chicks in nearby nests these older chicks are spending more time interacting with each other as they wait for the parents to bring food. These three were so busy they didn’t even  notice when one of the parents was on its approach.

Three Anhinga Chicks
Three Anhinga Chicks

Just as well, because she kept right on going.

Three Anhinga Chicks
Three Anhinga Chicks

And going.

Three Anhinga Chicks
Three Anhinga Chicks, mother Anhinga passing by

I don’t know what made her abort her landing, but she circled around the tree for a second try and successful touch down.