Night Heron at Col. Sam Smith Park: July 18, 2022

Black-crowned Night Herons, as the name implies are birds of crepuscular habits, becoming active as night begins to set in and hiding from view as the dawn brightens.

They are opportunists feeders that eat many kinds of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine animals. Their diet includes leeches, earthworms, insects, crayfish, clams, mussels, fish, amphibians, lizards, snakes, turtles, rodents, birds, and eggs. (allaboutbirds.org)

We had a good look at one this morning:

Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night

Last year, the more southernly cousin, a Yellow-crowned Night Heron spent the summer in this park:

Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Other birds:

moulting Red-winged Blackbird (male)
Mute Swan
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird (male)
Red-winged Blackbird (female)
Mallards
European Starling
juvenile American robin bathing
Red-necked Grebes
Red-necked Grebe and eggs
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird (female)
Eastern Kingbird
American Robin
Mallards
Northern Flicker
Mallard
House Sparrow (female)
Double-crested Cormorants (juvenile)
moulting Red-winged Blackbird (male)
Mourning Dove
Gray Catbird
Common Grackles
Northern Cardinal (male)
Double-crested Cormorant (juvenile)
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird (female)
Common Tern

A Muskrat was in the pond:

Muskrat

Today’s group:

NATURE POETRY

Ensanguining the skies
How heavily it dies
Into the west away;
Past touch and sight and sound
Not further to be found,
How hopeless under ground
Falls the remorseful day. – A.E. Housman

Miles Hearn

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