All flowers of the Century Plant opened! Surprisingly, the long pistils of the flowers on the lowest layer of branches are growing much longer just like its majestic stock which is growing high toward the sky. The Century Plant demonstrates the power of nature. The pistils of flowers which bloomed on the second layer yesterday grew much longer in only one day, and the rest of the flowers on all branches were slightly open. It was high, but I could see the pistils were starting to show up from all flowers. Absolutely gorgeous!
Between the Landing House and the diving facility, a long and low concrete barrier runs along the edge of the water, stones inlayed on the top. The barrier creates an elegant atmosphere with two Bald Cypress trees on each side of a Mexican Plum tree at the edge of the water. The branches of these Bald Cypress trees and Mexican Plum are growing toward the water, extending their arms toward the water with grace. The trees produce nice shade on the lawn and water, making a hunting place for birds well as a resting place for the Chinese Domestic Geese.
This morning, the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron caught a small crayfish in the tiny inlet created by the stone inlayed barrier at the mouth of the kayak dock. I think that the water washed away some soil and made a tiny inlet at that the end of the barrier, and sometimes, it traps some fish or crayfish. After the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron gulped the crayfish, the bird flew toward the other end of the barrier, near the corner of the diving facility, stretched its neck and peeked down into the water.
It was cute to watch a Green Heron fly down from a tree beside the facility to the barrier, and stand close to the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. Then, the Green Heron stretched its neck at the same as the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron, and started picking fishes.
It was the first time I witnessed the Green Heron actively fishing there. The area is becoming higher than the water surface, and the bird has to stretch his neck to catch the fish. The Green Herons usually stand like a statue in the shallow water or on the Algae and wait for fish to come nearby; its fishing strategy is quite stoic. One fish was a little big for the Green Heron. I could see its neck bending down low toward the surface of water, and the bird had to bring its neck back up to swallow it. It was a peaceful and beautiful scene to watch that the two birds, a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron and a Green Heron hunting near each other with the same posture on that barrier.
The Chinese Domestic Geese crossed the concrete path to other side of the lawn. The mother goose was noticeably limping. I thought that her right thigh might have an injury; and also, I saw her right foot is slightly inward. After she crossed the path and picked some grasses, the mother goose sat on the grass again.
I saw a Red-Shouldered Hawk flying toward the Swiss Sky Ride and fly down under the tree near the meshed wire fence. The bird holding something, but I could not figure out what it was. The bird put it down on the grass and just watched it. From the reaction of the bird, I could tell that it was moving, but the movement was very slow. The bird was just watched it without doing anything. After for a while, the bird started eating it deliciously.
After the Red-Shouldered Hawk finished, I went to the site that the hawk was eating curious what it had caught. I was surprised to see two big claws of s crayfish left on the grass. That red color of two claws on the corner of green grass under the shade of a green tree produced an atmosphere of severity and lonesomeness. I just stood there for a while. And, I wondered again. How the Red-Shouldered Hawk caught the crayfish? I saw once that the Red-Shouldered Hawk caught something on the feeding place in the wetland, but I have not seen the Red-Shouldered Hawk try to hunt the crayfish like the water birds do. Anyway, this morning, I found that the diet of the Red-Shouldered Hawks includes aquatic foods in their menus.
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