The “Tricolored Heron is a characteristic bird of quiet shallow waters,” (Audubon), and a very common sight in our wetland preserves in Palm Beach County. But I couldn’t resist the image of this striking Tri-colored, foraging in the mangroves at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on New Year’s Day morning. Almost hard to tell which bird is real […]
Tag Archives: Tri-colored Heron
Just moments before he flew off, I spotted this flashy Tri-colored Heron (sometimes still called the Louisiana Heron), in the pond this morning. Notice his slender, spear-like bill – compared to his head size, it is proportionately the longest bill of all the herons (The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds, Eastern Region, 2013). The Heron engaged in what David Sibley […]
A short visual tribute to three of my favorite (and some of our most common) wetland birds . . . . These herons are here with us all year round, and keep us smiling no matter what the weather. Despite the summer heat, they always seem to find relief from the high temperatures in refreshing pools, […]
My daughter and her boyfriend sent us this very special postcard [above] from their recent visit to the Muir Woods in California. I love the wonderful quote from John Muir, which reminded me why he was such a hero of mine years ago: “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than one seeks.” Reading about John Muir‘s travels and his […]
I recently posted (Sibling Rivalry) about the Tri-colored Heron chicks, who are fast learning to be independent. The babies have gotten much bigger and much more self-sufficient in the past few weeks. This Tri-colored Heron is learning to forage like the grown-ups in the shallow water, where they find fish, crustaceans, amphibians, and other small invertebrates (iBird Plus). I chuckled […]
The Tri-colored Herons have been prolific, as usual, in our area and there are many new broods this spring. Of course, (as you can see above) the competition for the choicest morsels can get pretty serious when a parent drops by with something to eat! It is really comical to watch their facial expressions as they wait […]
We are nearing the end of the Hebrew month of Elul. Elul has been a time of introspection, a time to look back and reflect on our past year, and think about what our journey through the next year will be like. During Elul, as Rabbi Simon Jacobson so beautifully describes it, we prepare to enter “a […]
No doubt about it, southeast Florida can be very hot in mid-August. So what do the birds do to keep cool?? Many birds, like Hawks and Wood Storks, soar overhead, circling above the wetlands to take advantage of high altitude currents where the air is cooler. Most birds try to keep their cool by being much less active […]
Unlike other herons and egrets, who often move slowly and stealthily, the Tri-colored Herons are almost always in constant motion. They fly quickly from one place to another, seemingly in a hurry to do some something important, or they dart about in the ponds, flitting from one spot to another, jumping up and spinning about when […]
I decided to post a few more images of our local little ones. . . . . Cannot believe what it’s like to be able to experience this beauty every day! Remember those Tri-colored Heron chicks (above) with the “punk” hairdos? They are getting bigger every day!These are among the newest of the Great Egret chicks – […]
Birder's Journey 