Tag Archives: Nest

Wading Birds

Great Blue Heron Repurposing The Skinny Tree Nest

February 4, 2023 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

It seems that the Great Blue Heron couple have abandoned nesting at the Skinny Tree sometime in the last week.

Another enterprising GBH spent a couple hours on Tuesday removing material from what had appeared to be a robust nest.

Great Blue Heron at Skinny Tree, Stealing Sticks

This heron’s nest is just at the other end of the pond, in the big island.

He made lots of trips mostly with small branches while I was watching.

Of course it is not theft to them, it is taking advantage of easy pickings.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 31, 2023

Wading Birds

Great Blue Heron at Skinny Tree

February 2, 2023 Ellen Jennings 3 Comments

A Great Blue Heron minding the nest on the Skinny Tree.

The heron flew to the end of the pond and I waited 15 -20 minutes for it to return, with hopes of a flight image. Finally I moved on.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 24, 2023

Wading Birds

Great Blue Heron Working The Nest

January 28, 2023 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

A Great Blue Heron took a few moments to rearrange some nest material.

It was rather breezy, making his feathers dance.

This nest looks pretty sturdy and ready for a new family. I’ve seen nesting activity and some mating going on, but no sign any eggs have been laid yet in the easily seen nest sites.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 24, 2023

Wading Birds

Great Egret Chick Pair, Prequel

June 13, 2022 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

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.

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

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

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

Raptor

Fancy Nest Topper, Another Angle

May 19, 2022 Ellen Jennings 5 Comments

It was the shape of the tree that caught my eye, from a few posts ago. Turns out, working through my images from that day I had some other shots.

Osprey Nest in Artsy Tree — Osprey Nest– looking like a straw hat, Osprey head just visible

Here’s a wider view.

There were several Osprey flying around.

This one was watching the water but I never saw him dive.

Orlando Wetlands, Florida
April 12, 2022

Artsy

Fancy Nest Topper

May 13, 2022 Ellen Jennings 1 Comment

It was the shape of the tree that caught my eye, reminding me of a carved finial. The Osprey nest that looks like a straw hat was secondary. It was early and not much light, but there is an Osprey in the nest, the white on its head visible close to the tree trunk.

Orlando Wetlands, Florida
April 12, 2022

Insects

Bee Sculpture

August 22, 2021 Ellen Jennings 6 Comments

The early morning sun was glinting off this hive, which unfortunately was so high up I couldn’t get a sharper image.

I thought it was interesting with those lobes, and wondered if that was wax, or some sort of paper nest.

From the other side, if I had approached from the direction I probably wouldn’t have noticed it.

This last image is severely cropped, and not great detail, but notice how precise the cells are–an engineering marvel!

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 20, 2021

This and That

A Leaf, A Nest? What Is It?

February 15, 2021 Ellen Jennings 12 Comments

When I took these photographs I thought these were dried leaves in an arty configuration. On closer inspection at home, I think there may be more to it as they are too precisely shaped.