Little Green Heron chick is growing up

The close-up of the Green Heron featured above shows how sleek and handsome these small herons are as adults.P1020580But, when the young bird first begins to venture out from the nest, like this one, the Green Heron chick is a little ball of fluff, a vulnerable hatchling, covered with down. Even his eye doesn’t seem to be fully formed yet.IMG_8920The male and the female parents take turns caring for the chicks, watching over them and bringing them food for up to a month after they fledge (All about Birds). This brave little guy was waiting expectantly for mom or dad to return.IMG_8531In just a few months, the chicks’ plumage will begin to appear as smooth and rich in color as that of this adult Green Heron above. For more details about the Green Heron, see my previous posts: a https://birdersjourney.com/tag/green-heron/.

 

18 thoughts on “Little Green Heron chick is growing up

    • Thank you! We have Green Herons all year around here and they’re really fun to watch. Luckily, there is usually at least one pair nesting in this spot each spring – quite visible from the boardwalk.

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    • We’ve been watching him daily and we think he has just fledged, as no one has seen him near the nest in the past day or two. I only hope no harm has come to him – the perils of the cycle of life are so apparent out there every day!

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    • Thank you for your visit, Tiny. This is the only one I’ve seen this year, though there were three eggs in the nest.
      I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about your grandchildren’s love of birds. We are so happy that our young grandchildren enjoy birding with us when they can, too❤️

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  1. Hi- I am in Charlotte, NC and have lived here for 48 years- yesterday was the 1s time I’ve seen this type of bird here. Do you you if it’s common or how they would end up so far inland?

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    • So nice to hear from you, Jackie! Interestingly, my son and his family moved to Charlotte last summer and we’ve had the pleasure of visiting twice – wonderful place! So glad you saw a Green Heron…they’re delightful birds! Because Green Herons are wetland birds, not shorebirds, it’s very common to see them inland. In fact, I lived in upstate New York until 7 years ago, and saw them often in our natural areas there, usually along the banks of small streams or ponds. Here’s a link to Green Heron info on a wonderful birding resource:
      https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/overview
      May you see many more~!

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