The sun had been up about an hour when I reached Ravenswood Pond on this October morning. There wasn’t any bird activity; the pond was choked with vegetation, so the reflections I hoped for were not to be had, either.
There were some rising tendrils of pond smoke.
There is an Anhinga drying his wings at the top of the Skinny Tree, but he blends right in.
Ravenswood Pond, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 18, 2021
I would never be surprised to find the Skinny Tree had succumbed to the elements and fallen into the pond. Happily, it made it through another wading bird nesting season, providing a start to one Great Blue Heron chick in the top nest and five or six Great Egret chicks in at least two nests lower down.
All sorts of birds will use the tree as a perch for the next several months for fleeting moments. Come December the cycle will start again again when the Great Blue Herons start staking out nest sites and hopefully this tree will be around to participate.
It appears that the duck box has no bottom, so any Wood Ducks looking for a nesting spot will have to find another location.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
July 23, 2021
The triplets were having a stretch while the parent stood watch.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston SC
May 8, 2021
The top deck of the skinny tree has been occupied by a Great Blue Heron for several weeks. Some “nestoration” had been completed when I took this at the end of December.
Compare the nest to this image from December 14, before this nest site was claimed and a few orange leaves were still hanging on.
Another nesting season has begun for the Great Blue Herons and this male was on a mission to find some nest material.
You can see from looking at the stick selection on the ground around him that he should have considered going a bit further from the nest.
He eventually found a small stick.
The route to his nest in the skinny tree was into the sun so this isn’t much of an image but gives you the idea of the action. And that the skinny tree is still standing.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
January 4, 2021
A few Gadwalls have been hanging out at Ravenswood Pond for the winter. They have been pretty quick to move to the middle or far side of the pond if they sense any human activity. On this day this small group took their time passing by me.
They will be heading out soon on their spring migration.
This scene is looking the length of this rectangular, man-made pond. The “skinny tree” I sometimes mention is hosting a Great Blue Heron and can be made out on the right.
There is duck weed all around the pond and some other bright green pond vegetation has thrived on the right-hand side.
You may recognize the “skinny tree” as this GBH pair’s selected nesting spot. From a heron’s point of view it is a good location, surrounded by water.
They were starting from nothing as last year’s nest on this tree didn’t survive intervening storms.
The male had just brought a long stick, they mated, and then they took turns moving the stick around, so much so that I expected it to end up in the water below.
Despite their affectionate display I don’t think this pairing took. The male left and picked at some sticks across the pond but did not return. Eventually the female left, too. Sometimes they just leave to eat but don’t like to leave a started nest for interlopers so a committed couple takes turns. The next day six White Ibis were sunbathing here.
Just as it was starting to rain and we were heading out a Great Blue Heron landed in the Skinny Tree. It was a long, soft shot, but I do like all the colors around the edge of the pond.
If you zoom in you’ll see that all of last year’s nesting material is gone from the tree. The GBH nest was where the Heron is standing; Great Egrets built three nests lower down, one on top of the Wood Duck box. I expect a Great Blue Heron pair will start building it up soon as this has been one of the prime nesting sites on this pond for many years.
After checking that the danger had passed from the intruding Great Egret the Great Blue Heron chick fluffed his feathers back down to regular size.
Then he took the opportunity to wingercize, flapping his wings in preparation for learning to fly.
He didn’t lift off this time, but did do some single wing stretches to complete his work out.
Either by instinct or from learning from a parent, this Great Blue Heron chick was defending himself from a Great Egret Intruder. This is the same nest in the Skinny Tree featured in Scram, Great Egret where the GBH adult was protecting his nest.
The chick made himself really big.
I suspect they’ve done this before and shortly the Great Egret went back to poking at sticks on the outer branches of the tree.
