It was drizzling this morning. The wetland was still dark and I thought I wouldn’t see any birds, but the Great Blue Heron was hunting in the feeding place alone.
I was happy to see the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron fly in and perch on the railing. Suddenly, another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron flew up from under the boardwalk bridge, and chased the Young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron away towards the river. I was sad to see the chase. The bird came back and perched on the rail. I approached and saw the bird was the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. The bird has one blackish dot on the middle, more to the right side of the forehead. It is the second time I saw the bird chase away another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. The bird stood on the rail for a while, and then flew up toward the Landing House. I followed the bird.
The one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was standing under the Bald Cypress tree, near the biological experiment site, and the bird started walking along the water line toward the corner of the diving facility. Watching the way the bird walked, at once, I remembered this bird was here last summer after the drought. When other birds had gone, the bird had stayed longer until it migrated south.
As soon as I got home, I checked my diary from last summer and I found what I wrote about this bird on September 6, 2009.
“When Lennie was busy pushing the kayak to the water, I saw a young Yellow-Crowned Night Heron at the hunting territory of the mother Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. Its distinguishing white lines on the shining ebony black cheeks were so white and the lines were narrower than the other Yellow-Crowned Night Herons. Its body was slim, and the movement of the body was different from any other Yellow-Crowned Night Herons that I had seen during the summer. When walking along the edge of the bank hunting fish, the bird moved its neck elegantly, and sometimes it moved from shoulder together. Those movements of the bird reminded me of an ancient Thai dancer, and I smiled watching the bird for a while. I wondered why many of the birds were gone. A man who was bird watching said that the dryness of the lake might be the reason, and some of the birds needed to find a new feeding ground.”
During the past year, the bird lost the shine and freshness of its feathers and beak, and it is fatter. Even though the bird has lost the youthful, softness, and elegance in its body movements, it has not lost its characteristic walking style.
After taking photos of the Century Plant, I saw the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron hunting at the corner of the barrier. The Great Blue Heron flew down on the same barrier not far from the other bird. The one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron saw the Great Blue Heron. I was curious how the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron would react toward that big Great Blue Heron. I already saw the chasing by the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron twice. The bird started walking toward the Great Blue Heron. When the bird approached the Great Blue Heron, the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron did a wing flapping gesture toward the Great Blue Heron. However, the Great Blue Heron did not show any reaction toward that threat, and kept standing there. The one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron just walked pass the Great Blue Heron as if nothing had happened, and kept walking toward near the Bald Cypress tree.
This morning, I saw long pistils at the lowest branches of the Century Plant turning brown and thinner, and they were drooping. But the other layers of pistils were growing longer, and they were attracting more bees and the Blue-Throated Hummingbirds.
June 30, 2010
It rained in the early morning and the sky was still dark and heavy. Before another rain, I walked around the lake quickly. Half of the waiting area for the divers beside the Landing House was under water.
I saw a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron chasing away another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron when I walked through the covered boardwalk entrance. One of them escaped toward the river, and the bird turned around and flew back on the rail at the boardwalk. It was the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. There are at least three Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons in this lake now. I was hoping that they could share the lake peacefully.
I heard the voices of the two Great Blue Herons who appeared from the river area, flying high over the feeding area, above the Swiss Sky Ride, to the Landing House area, and disappear toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock. I saw three of them flying at the river area yesterday. I thought that one of them might be a juvenile. Was this flight a test flight? The parents Great Blue Herons were teaching the flight skills to their young? It was an impressive sight to see these big birds flying around together.
I saw more Green Herons in the wetland this morning. Especially, two Green Herons who acted as if they were juveniles. They were walking on the rail, and one of them slipped one leg from the rail. The rail is a metal round pipe, and east to slip off if a bird is not used to walking on it. The bird quickly caught its balance, walked carefully a few more steps, and caught a resting dragonfly.
The juvenile Green Herons played a game with me. When I approached them, they flew about 10 or 15 feet ahead of me watching me coming, and as I walked near them, they flew ahead of me again.
I walked toward the Landing House surprised to see a huge Nutria under the Bold Cypress tree, the spot where the Chinese Domestic Geese usually rest. As the Nutria was on the land, I could see its whole huge body, especially its bulging tummy. The Nutria saw me coming, and slowly walked down to the water.
I was happy to see that the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron which was busy hunting at the corner of the diving facility, at the end of the barrier. I wondered how these Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons would share the lake.
The flowers of the Century Plant are growing much taller than yesterday. As the flowers continue to grow, the long, thick stalk keeps leaning more towards the lake.
A Blue-Throated Hummingbird and several bees were busily collecting honey from the flowers of Century Plant. I noticed that the Blue-Throated Hummingbird disappeared into the branches of the Bold Cypress tree from time to time. I wondered whether the bird’s nest was there or just that the bird needed to take a rest.
The rain started. On the way out from Spring Lake, I saw a deer grazing at the right side of Golf course.
I saw a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron chasing away another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron when I walked through the covered boardwalk entrance. One of them escaped toward the river, and the bird turned around and flew back on the rail at the boardwalk. It was the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. There are at least three Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons in this lake now. I was hoping that they could share the lake peacefully.
I heard the voices of the two Great Blue Herons who appeared from the river area, flying high over the feeding area, above the Swiss Sky Ride, to the Landing House area, and disappear toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock. I saw three of them flying at the river area yesterday. I thought that one of them might be a juvenile. Was this flight a test flight? The parents Great Blue Herons were teaching the flight skills to their young? It was an impressive sight to see these big birds flying around together.
I saw more Green Herons in the wetland this morning. Especially, two Green Herons who acted as if they were juveniles. They were walking on the rail, and one of them slipped one leg from the rail. The rail is a metal round pipe, and east to slip off if a bird is not used to walking on it. The bird quickly caught its balance, walked carefully a few more steps, and caught a resting dragonfly.
The juvenile Green Herons played a game with me. When I approached them, they flew about 10 or 15 feet ahead of me watching me coming, and as I walked near them, they flew ahead of me again.
I walked toward the Landing House surprised to see a huge Nutria under the Bold Cypress tree, the spot where the Chinese Domestic Geese usually rest. As the Nutria was on the land, I could see its whole huge body, especially its bulging tummy. The Nutria saw me coming, and slowly walked down to the water.
I was happy to see that the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron which was busy hunting at the corner of the diving facility, at the end of the barrier. I wondered how these Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons would share the lake.
The flowers of the Century Plant are growing much taller than yesterday. As the flowers continue to grow, the long, thick stalk keeps leaning more towards the lake.
A Blue-Throated Hummingbird and several bees were busily collecting honey from the flowers of Century Plant. I noticed that the Blue-Throated Hummingbird disappeared into the branches of the Bold Cypress tree from time to time. I wondered whether the bird’s nest was there or just that the bird needed to take a rest.
The rain started. On the way out from Spring Lake, I saw a deer grazing at the right side of Golf course.
June 29, 2010
When walking toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock, I saw two Red-Shouldered Hawks perched on the electric line above the Century Plant. The hawks were very still. I felt it was a special morning at Spring Lake, as I stood in front of the Century Plant with two hawks, and the distinguished low voices of the Great Blue Heron in the background. I saw that all the flowers of the Century Plant had grown much taller toward the sky; it is surprising how fast they grow. The flowers made the thick green stalk much taller, but so many branches holding several flower clusters on each branch are making the stalk lean towards the lake. Several bees were busy collecting honey, and I was happy to see a Blue-Throated Hummingbird collecting honey along side them.
Yesterday, I searched for information about the Century Plant, and found an article which said: “Century Plants bloom only once in their life, the blooming spike is so large and grows so fast it saps all the resources of the plant, which then dies, leaving a tall wooden seed stalk.” The article also said that the average life span of Century Plant is 25 years. As I was reading this article, I felt that I was lucky to observe the growing flowers of the Century Plant. On the other hand, I felt sad to know that that gorgeous plant eventually dies after producing the seeds.
I looked on the other side of the Glass Bottom Boat dock and saw a Great Blue Heron walking along the lake toward a tree which was located on the right side of the old viewing deck. The trunk of the tree is crawling toward the water, touching it. The branches are producing leaves creating nice shade on the surface of the water. The Great Blue Heron walked to the end of the trunk and looked under the water for a while, then flew off toward the river.
When I went through the covered bridge toward the Pecan Grove, a deer was grazing peacefully in the middle of the Pecan Grove, and there were two other deer in the parking area. The two deer eventually disappeared, but the solitary deer did not care that I was walking along the path beside the Pecan Grove. A red-Shouldered Hawk flew down on the picnic table, then to the lawn, and the bird started picking at something next to the deer.
When walking back to the boardwalk, three big birds were making big circles above the edge of the lake. From their voices I knew they were the Great Blue Herons, but I was surprised that they were flying high above the trees. I used to see them flying very low. It was my first experience to see three Great Blue Herons together, circling many times like the Black Vultures do, and flying so high in the sky. The Great Blue Herons are the biggest birds around here, but they are shy. That scene was like a special exhibition or they were showing off.
Yesterday, I searched for information about the Century Plant, and found an article which said: “Century Plants bloom only once in their life, the blooming spike is so large and grows so fast it saps all the resources of the plant, which then dies, leaving a tall wooden seed stalk.” The article also said that the average life span of Century Plant is 25 years. As I was reading this article, I felt that I was lucky to observe the growing flowers of the Century Plant. On the other hand, I felt sad to know that that gorgeous plant eventually dies after producing the seeds.
I looked on the other side of the Glass Bottom Boat dock and saw a Great Blue Heron walking along the lake toward a tree which was located on the right side of the old viewing deck. The trunk of the tree is crawling toward the water, touching it. The branches are producing leaves creating nice shade on the surface of the water. The Great Blue Heron walked to the end of the trunk and looked under the water for a while, then flew off toward the river.
When I went through the covered bridge toward the Pecan Grove, a deer was grazing peacefully in the middle of the Pecan Grove, and there were two other deer in the parking area. The two deer eventually disappeared, but the solitary deer did not care that I was walking along the path beside the Pecan Grove. A red-Shouldered Hawk flew down on the picnic table, then to the lawn, and the bird started picking at something next to the deer.
When walking back to the boardwalk, three big birds were making big circles above the edge of the lake. From their voices I knew they were the Great Blue Herons, but I was surprised that they were flying high above the trees. I used to see them flying very low. It was my first experience to see three Great Blue Herons together, circling many times like the Black Vultures do, and flying so high in the sky. The Great Blue Herons are the biggest birds around here, but they are shy. That scene was like a special exhibition or they were showing off.
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