Tag Archives: Juvenile Bird

Standing On The Trunk

Another wooden trunk between some old rice fields, this one controls the flow of water from the canal in the foreground to the impoundment behind that dike. This set of trunks was replaced last year and only this side has the full pivoting door mechanism.

Grackle, Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-heron and Tricolored Heron on Rice Field Trunk
Grackle, Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-heron and Tricolored Heron on Rice Field Trunk

I knelt down to get the next image, where you can see open water in the impoundment on the other side.  The grackle and the Tricolored Heron had moved on and the juvenile night heron took that opportunity to claim a post.

Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-heron

Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022

Common Gallinule Chicks

A few Common Gallinule chicks were paddling around at the edge of Mary’s House Pond. They moved out into the water a bit as I drove by and I captured these out the car window.

Common Gallinule Chick
Common Gallinule Chick

This one seemed to suddenly realize his mates had moved off without him.

Common Gallinule Chick
Common Gallinule Chick

Wait for me!

Common Gallinule Chick
Common Gallinule Chick

Where’d they go?

Common Gallinule Chick
Common Gallinule Chick

An adult wasn’t far off, showing how to get a meal.

Common Gallinule Adult and Chicks
Common Gallinule Adult and Chicks

Safety in numbers, the family stuck pretty close together.

Common Gallinule Chick
Common Gallinule Chicks

Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
August 31, 2022

Common Gallinule Learning The Ropes

My apologies if anyone gets notice of this post twice. I picked the wrong post to schedule, after this had already posted, and now can’t undo it. 🙃

We often refer to Common Gallinules as the early warning system. Any bird in the area who didn’t know we are coming does after what All About Birds describes as

“all sorts of chickenlike clucks, whinnies, cackles, squawks, and yelps. They often call while hidden from view, leaving you wondering what lurks in the marsh. The rapid series of clucks sounds vaguely raptorlike, but the series often ends with what sounds like a laugh.”

The clatter is often accompanied by or followed by them running across the water. The whole business is quite startling for all concerned.

Adult and Juvenile Common Gallinule
Adult and Juvenile Common Gallinule

This young bird appeared to be trying out his vocal skills, but I never heard a peep.

Adult and Juvenile Common Gallinule
Adult and Juvenile Common Gallinule

Mom just paddled along, saving the water running for another lesson.

Adult and Juvenile Common Gallinule
Adult and Juvenile Common Gallinule

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
July 29, 2022

Roseate Spoonbill Chicks

These Roseate Spoonbill chicks were about to get fed, and they were ready!

Roseate Spoonbill Chicks
Roseate Spoonbill Chicks, both adults

There were at least three chicks, the two in the middle and check out the lower left corner:

Roseate Spoonbill Chicks
Roseate Spoonbill Chicks

The way the adult facing away from us kept poking down below her mate I wondered if there was a fourth chick out of my view.

Roseate Spoonbill Chicks
Roseate Spoonbill Chicks

A little wider view showing more of the palm tree.

Roseate Spoonbill Chicks
Roseate Spoonbill Chicks

St. Augustine Alligator Farm, FL
April 13, 2022

Great Egret Chick Pair, Prequel

After I posted Great Egret Chick Pair yesterday I remembered I had taken some pictures earlier this spring at their nest. They aren’t great images, but I thought interesting as part of yesterday’s story.

On April 29 the adult was laying on the nest, presumable incubating eggs. At that point based on previous years’ outcomes I didn’t have much hope for a productive nest.

Great Egret On Nest
Great Egret On Nest April 29

Then on May 17th I discovered the chicks had not only  hatched but grown enough to be visible.

Great Egret Chicks
Great Egret Chicks May 17

I’d say a week to ten days old as a guess.

Great Egret Chicks
Great Egret Chicks May 17

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 29 and May 17, 2022

Great Egret Chick Pair

Again this year a pair of Great Egrets attempted to raise a family in a pine bough just off the nature trail at Ravenswood Pond.

Great Egret Chicks
Great Egret Chicks

Different this year is that they have had success, at least so far. Two years ago the eggs were not viable and last year there were two or three chicks but they did not live long.

Great Egret Chicks
Great Egret Chicks, This bough hangs over the pond

Survival rate for chicks is pretty low, and looking at this flimsy nest you can easily identify a few dangers plus they have a number of predators.

Great Egret Chicks
Great Egret Chicks

In the mean-time, these two have some shade…

Great Egret Chick
Great Egret Chick

and they look well fed.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
June 10, 2022

Brown Pelican Chicks

Ted and I went on the same guided boat adventure as last year to see the juvenile Pelicans at Bird Key Stono Seabird Sanctuary. This trip was much earlier in the young birds’ lives as they are still in the nests.

Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono
Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono

These pictures are taken from a bobbing boat; I did learn from last year and upped my shutter speed to 1/1600.

Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono
Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono

There are thousands of birds on this island right now, and as you might expect there were always some in flight. The parents have to go for food, and swoop in and out constantly.

Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono
Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono, Maybe a Cloudless Sulfer flying over

The chicks are still in the nests, which are collections of sticks/reeds, with the young being protected by an adult from the sun. As you can see in the center top a few are starting to move around.

Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono
Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono, Dragonflies

Laughing Gulls are also nesting here and were flying all over, constantly chattering.

Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono
Brown Pelicans on Nests, Bird Key Stono

June 1, 2022

Bird Key, not much more than a sandbar, is a barrier island that sits in the mouth of the Stono River, between Kiawah and Folly Islands.