Yesterday was overcast until late in the day when I finally headed out to the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake about a half mile from home to check in on the Herons. It had been several weeks since my last visit. Quite a few Great Blue Herons were busy tidying up their nests. Other Herons were flying in and out and others were just sitting on their nest, some alone, and others in pairs.
I counted thirty Herons of those I could see. There had to be at least fifty nests although many were empty. I am fairly certain the number of nests has doubled since last year. This year I noticed Cormorants, as opposed to Black Crowned Night Herons, which leaves me wondering where the Black Crowned Night Herons are nesting this year. Perhaps they will show up later in Spring. After all it is still very early in Spring and there are still states where snow is falling in the United States. Here in Tennessee, however, Spring is in gearing up. I am certain we'll have a cold spell or two before Mother Nature heralds Winter out completely, but for now I'm enjoying mild temperatures.
It is an amazing experience to stand for minutes at a time in one spot and watch the Herons as they fly from one nest to the next, one tree to the next, and in and out of the rookery flying out across Old Hickory Lake. I witnessed a few fights among the Herons with the losers flying off in disgust. Herons make a weirdd croaking sound especially when they are quarreling.
I hope your week is off to a good start and you'll stop by again soon. I appreciate your comments. ENJOY!
I counted thirty Herons of those I could see. There had to be at least fifty nests although many were empty. I am fairly certain the number of nests has doubled since last year. This year I noticed Cormorants, as opposed to Black Crowned Night Herons, which leaves me wondering where the Black Crowned Night Herons are nesting this year. Perhaps they will show up later in Spring. After all it is still very early in Spring and there are still states where snow is falling in the United States. Here in Tennessee, however, Spring is in gearing up. I am certain we'll have a cold spell or two before Mother Nature heralds Winter out completely, but for now I'm enjoying mild temperatures.
It is an amazing experience to stand for minutes at a time in one spot and watch the Herons as they fly from one nest to the next, one tree to the next, and in and out of the rookery flying out across Old Hickory Lake. I witnessed a few fights among the Herons with the losers flying off in disgust. Herons make a weirdd croaking sound especially when they are quarreling.
I hope your week is off to a good start and you'll stop by again soon. I appreciate your comments. ENJOY!
Amazing photos, and the nests, they look very precarious for those long legs and wide wings.
ReplyDeleteAmazing shots Carol!
ReplyDelete