On my bird count today I had 6 Little Blue Herons including one Juvenile. Juvenvile Little Blue Herons have an all white phase. The one today was molting into the blue plumage, an in-between phase called pied or calico. The juvie was too far away to digiscope but I did manage to get up-close and personal with one of the adults.
Little Blue Herons are not our most frequent visitor. Usually you see one or two while walking at the Green Cay Wetlands but sometimes you do get lucky like today and see quite a few.
This patient stand-and-wait predator may easily be overlooked by their lack of movement but you should look closely for this resident species. They never fail to capture your attention with their blue and reddish tinted feathers and dull yellow eye. That ever faithful gaze is both intense and calculated as they hunt.
I'm ready for the shorebirds to return soon and then the other migrants in the fall. But until that happens it's been nice getting to know some of the resident species and having the time to soak in the details this summer.
1 comment:
Great close-ups of the Little Blue Heron Eva! I love herons of all colors and this would be a lifer for me. They are such interesting birds and you're right, I think they get missed quite often because they are so still and have excellent camouflage.
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