Category Archives: Juvenile Birds

Little Blue Heron Flight School

July 22, 2017 Ellen Jennings 3 Comments

Adult Little Blue Herons teach their young to fly by encouraging them, sometimes with food, out to the end of a branch. The adult then takes off, hoping the juvenile will follow.

Although the juveniles have been venturing onto the branches for a couple of weeks, In the beginning actually lifting off is a tough sell.

Juvenile Little Blue Heron Flight School

Many of the families have three or four chicks and the sibling competition seems to spur them on. This fellow appeared to be an only child, or maybe the others have already moved on.

“I don’t know if I can do this!”

Success! It was a short hop but he made it and landed successfully.

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Green Reflections

July 13, 2017 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

A pair of Juvenile Snowy Egrets were using the alligator platform to practice strutting their stuff.

Their reflections were interrupted by the duckweed, but I liked the tree reflections across the water.

This platform sits just off one of the islands where several Snowy Egrets nested. We could hear them but have rarely seen them.

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Juvenile Little Blue Herons

July 8, 2017 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

The juvenile Little Blue Herons are spreading out away from their nests and just when one thinks he has found his own piece of paradise he gets company.

These sticks are from a dead branch that fell in a storm earlier this summer and it makes an easy landing spot for the young birds. Unfortunately it provides no protection from alligators that could easily lurch out of the water and snatch one of them.

This section of the pond is choked with duckweed and the alligators travel easily unseen beneath it. Even if they do see a predator the herons rarely take evasive action.

There are no ducks around to eat the duckweed right now and the conditions seem to be perfect for it to thrive, making for very green photographs.

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Test flights: Black-crowned Night Heron

July 5, 2017 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

The Black-crowned Night Herons built their nests on the interior of the swamp’s islands so we haven’t seen much of the juveniles. A few weeks ago they started to venture out onto branches and this week we’ve seen some fly.

This one dropped down near the path giving me an opportunity for a portrait. His eyes haven’t yet turned to the characteristic red that makes this heron really stand out as an adult.

Taking a longer flight, this heron flew to the next island, showing off his sizable feet. Like the Great Blue Herons, the Night Herons seem to be on their own learning to fly.

He found a perch and stayed with it. He had a great spot for watching the Little Blue Herons work on their flying lessons.

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Foot Loose Little Blue Herons

June 28, 2017 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

The juvenile Little Blue Heron are more mobile, but most of them still weren’t flying on this day about a week ago. They are venturing further away from their nests and their feet were in full view.

As I developed these photographs I noticed how many ways they use those feet, often digging their nails in for support or to climb a branch.

Head on shots of birds rarely look like much, but in this one the Little Blue’s feet are nicely lined up and show off how long his nails are.

They don’t need a very big branch to hang on to.

As we were leaving the rookery this adult Little Blue landed above us giving another foot view.

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Little Blue Heron Chicks Exploring

June 21, 2017 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

After being away for a week we visited the swamp our first day back. The Heron and Egret chicks grow so fast I was eager to see what had changed and who might have moved on.

In the Little Blue Heron rookery the chicks had gone from the protection of their nests on the interior of the island to exploring nearby branches.

The chick above was in a risky spot out over the pond where an alligator could jump up and snatch him. The chick’s flying skills aren’t established yet so just lifting up may not be an option.

The Little Blue Heron chicks seem to have more interest in their surroundings than the Great Blue Herons we have watched at the same age.

An intense thunder storm moved in so we did not make it to the rookery to check on the Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons on this day.

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Sun Shade

June 11, 2017 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

The Great Egret Chick was getting some relief from the sun on this hot June day.

There are three chicks in this nest. Why did this one get protection and the others didn’t or was this for some other purpose? More bird behaviors that I can’t explain.

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Only Child Keeping Busy

June 8, 2017 Ellen Jennings 8 Comments

What do you do in the nest all by yourself, hour after hour, waiting for the folks to bring a meal?

Pace back and forth.

Great Blue Heron Chick – click photo for larger view

Check out the corners of the nest.

Try out some new poses.

Test your vocal capacity.

Personal grooming.

I have not seen this chick leave the nest although I’m sure he could. He hatched about the same time as some others that have learned to use their wings.

June 2, 2017

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Time to Wake Up!

May 31, 2017 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

Great Egret chicks number two was resting comfortably on his pile of sticks. If you look closely you can see his eye is open, but he wasn’t moving.

Number one is up and wants the world to know.

“OK, I’m up. Now what are we going to do?”

The egret and heron chicks spend weeks in the nest with no where to go and not much to do. When they get older I’ve seen them spar with each other once in awhile. Otherwise, getting fed and growing is their main order of business. Oh, and sleeping.

Birds, Juvenile Birds, Wading Birds

Synchronized Staring

May 28, 2017 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

All together now, everybody look to your right.

Great Blue Heron Chicks — Juvenile Great Blue Herons – click photo for larger view

Now split, and hold that position.

Now everybody look to your left.

The juvenile Great Blue Herons learn the “stare and pose” routine early on. These two occasionally are like synchronized swimmers as they scan the perimeter.

May 17, 2017.