The heron symbolizes good luck, especially when fishing. According to Native American legend it is also a solitary, patient creature. Life has been filled with herons recently, along with a new bird, the purple martin.
Great White Egret
Little Green Heron
Great Blue Heron Rookery – Ready to Fledge
Purple Martin at New Nest
Eastern Kingbird
Mockingbird Mocking
The Bedford Rookery is humming, squawking, squirming with excitement. It is almost time for the young to fledge. I’m not sure if the adults take care of young that are not theirs.
This is what is left of the perching tree in the Croton Train Station estuary. The snowy egret and cormorant must be having quite the conversation.
Hey, bro, what’s down there?
Red-tail hawk mom showing the kids how to perch on the end of the dead branch
Red-tail hawk fledgling learned the lesson
How am I doing, Bonnie?
One just prays at least half of them survive. Our red-tailed hawk family is just about ready to expand their territory. Look out snakes and rats! The male dropped off a very small morsel and the eyases bawled him out. This is a sign that the youngsters are ready to take flight. Both adults have triangulated on nearby trees to keep an eye on this adventurous group. Mallard ducklings were out in force with their parents. Momma kept ten in tow while Dad guarded the pond. The goose family has not been so lucky. There were two goose families on the beach. One set had three goslings left and the other pair had only two. They waddled directly under the red-tail tree. I have seen the red-tails with a gosling or two being prepped. Sad. One goose pair at the Croton Boat Ramp are fairing well with their bagel diet. The other pair is only allowing the young to eat grass and bugs.
This appears to be the most ready to fly. Notice ‘his’ similar coloring to his mother.
Almost Ready to See A New World
What’s Next?
Momma Mallard Takes Ten
Proud Poppa Peruses His Pride – notice his molting plumage
Goose Goslings Get Going – Male seems to be herding a straggler
Feeding Lesson
The female red-tailed hawk is keeping her three eyases very well fed. The crops are bulging everytime I see the family. While not for the squeamish, ID needed for her most recent delicacy. I suspect rat. She indulged with the kids.
Yellow warblers are all over the place. I’ll post video of all the bird sounds and songs.
There is a lot of bird action right now.
Who is going first?
Show off
My egret came back. I’m discovering new places with the cormorants.
Fox sparrow at end of winter
Happy kestrel on the landfill
Wood duck daddy
White crowned sparrow in my yard
My egret returns
Arts Center Cormorant
Peregrine Perched at Park Post
The great white egret from Thornwood wowed me all spring, summer and fall. The bird got so used to people at its park that it often joined groups at the picnic tables.
