Adult Herons
Adult Heron
I decided that New Years Day was my last chance to go kayaking before the big
rains arrived. I managed to get 45 good minutes before the fog rolled over me on the Merced River below Lake McSwain. It
was bright, sunny and warm up until then.
It was worth the trip because I got some good photos of Black-Crowned
Night-Herons. I had seen them in November roosting among the trees along the shore. This time they were on dead trees out
in the middle of the river.
As their name implies, these noisy birds are largely nocturnal, beginning to
forage at dusk, when other herons are on their way to roosts.
They are one of the smaller herons standing about 28 inches tall with a wing
span of 3 1/2 feet. The mature herons have these wonderful
long white plumes on the back of their heads.
The adults are black, gray and white. Juveniles have a totally different
coloring, gray-brown with white spots. The immature birds have the black head, but are still gray with few spots. The
juveniles, immature and adults all have bright red eyes.
More information at All About Birds:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron_dtl.html
