In the last post, these 3 were inside eggs, and I was speculating that they could be Tri-Colored Herons (TCH's) based on the breeding plumage of the parent tending the eggs. Well, it turns out that's exactly what they are. They were not visible for the longest time until I spotted them in the bottom of a photo of something else. That gave me a spot to search, and now they are growing fast and becoming more visible every day.
These birds are definitely in need of some hair products, so they are named Fonzie, Lenny and Squiggy, anticipating their later years.
Mom is feeding them fairly frequently, and the encounter isn't as violent as for the LBH's. I'm not sure why that is.
There may be a couple more nests of these TCH's, around the back of the Mangrove. I've seen more adults flying around that way. I've also seen at least 4 Snowy Egrets hanging around this same tree and the ground below it. It wouldn't be a surprise to find one of their nests in the near future.
Here is Groucho below, with a Snowy Egret above him. They actually look fairly similar, except that the Snowy has the yellow mask and feet (called "Golden Slippers").
The above shot shows Groucho alone. The 3 siblings have taken to circumnavigating their way around the tree, hopping and flitting from branch to branch like Woodstock in Peanuts. No real flying , still, but the wings give a little assist. The new activity though is gliding to the ground and poking around the water. They don't need to fly to get back to the nest; the base of the Mangrove has roots twisted into sort of a cone and they can walk right back up!
An alert reader had several questions about the LBH's. The chicks, after fledging (flight) will abandon these nests. That will be at about 6-7 weeks of age. They will all sleep in the trees, but not necessarily in proximity to their old nest. They are "encouraged" to go their own way. Sometimes the adults will then repeat the egg laying process using the same nest; last year that happened in two of the nests in that same tree. When all that is done, the summer storms tend to make the remains of the nests fall apart, although next year's nest could be in a very similar location. One thing I noticed this year right before nest building began... many of last year's chicks (still white) returned one night to this tree and just hung out for a few hours as if for a reunion. They were all gone the next day.
No post would be complete without an update on Waldo and Waldon't! Occasionally, I see both in the nest. But very seldom and not for long. Waldon't has gotten more adventurous and it's now impossible to tell them apart. I suspect the above image is Waldon't, just because he's in the nest! Both birds are strong flyers and I saw them yesterday flying together over the lake and out to the bayou.
Here is (I think) Waldo - hunting at the edge of the lake yesterday. Mom still comes around, and both accost her for food. But I think those days are mostly over!
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