Friday, March 18, 2016

Nest Building 101, Heron Rookery

It's nest building time at one of the Heron Rookeries I discovered situated along Old Hickory Lake today just as the light was beginning to wane and clouds were moving in.


This particular rookery is situated on one side of an inlet in a residential neighborhood about a mile from my home. A large tree sits right at the tip of the inlet jutting out into the lake. The area is a public area with a drive that goes back a short distance. Staying an appropriate amount of distance away from the rookery, I snapped images using my 300 mm lens. Counting a good twenty nests in the large tree, there were at least eight or ten of those that looked as though they could have current residents.


This is the first rookery I could walk up to and while I wanted to get closer, I did not want to stress out any of the nesting birds. The Herons flew in and out of the nests as I stood for about twenty minutes watching them. Only this particular Heron seemed serious about his nest building duties.


I noticed a nest on the adjacent tip of the inlet in a large tree there also. It was the only nest in the tree. Soon the leaves will be sprouting and views of the Rookery will be obscured. I love watching the Herons flying in and out. Such majestic birds and the first image is my favorite. Just look at the detail.

After a stressful week, this was a wonderful way to end it. I also stopped at Drakes Creek to capture a few images of a Black Crowned Night Heron that I have been watching as it habitually perches in one particular tree along the creek. I just happen to catch him there late today and stopped for five minutes to snap his portrait. I'll post those images next week. Finally, decent weather for photography! Yippee. Thank you Mother Nature. ENJOY!

7 comments :

  1. Hi Carol. Delighted to hear you have some good weather at last and some fabulous shots of the nest building Herons. Hope you have a relaxing weekend.

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  2. Wow,what photos!! I like #2, perched, but the details in #1, wow all over again!!! You timed it perfectly, is this special for you as well?

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    1. Yes Jean it is absolutely special for me. Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. Great picture of the heron landing!

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  4. Carol, These are fantastic - so crisp. I can see all the herons' details. The colors are wonderful, too. Great shots! Glad you're out and about.

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  5. Very beautiful pictures!!

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