Black Crowned Night Heron

Video: Black Crowned Night Heron

Black Crowned Night Herons roost low in trees during the day and then take of around dusk for a night of hunting. I was lucky to catch this beautiful bird taking off from its daytime roost. They are unusual for herons with short stout necks and short legs. 

Typically solitary when foraging, the Black-crowned NightHeron

is most often observed at dawn, dusk, and on

cloudy days. Black-crowned Night-Herons have distinct

immature plumage and attain full breeding plumage in

their third year. Virtually worldwide in distribution, it

breeds from the northern United States and southern

Canada south to Hawaii, Peru, and Argentina.

Habitat. This cryptic species is inconspicuous at roost and

when seeking food, even though it forages during the day

while feeding young. Outside the breeding season, the

Black-crowned Night-Heron forages mostly at night,

usually wading in shallow water, and feeding on fish,

crustaceans, small amphibians, reptiles, nestling birds,

and mammals, as well as other aquatic organisms.

This species nests in homogeneous colonies, in colonies of

other waders, and, rarely, singly. Nests are formed of

dead surrounding vegetation in a marsh or built of sticks

in trees or bushes near or over water. Three to 5 bluegreen

eggs hatch in 24 to 26 days, and the young fledge

at about 42 days of age.

Seasonal Occurrence. Breeding has been reported from January through August, but the presence of young

birds in south Florida in December indicates that breeding may occur year-round there. In summer, Blackcrowned

Night-Herons are absent from most of the Panhandle. Migratory individuals appear in March and April,

sometimes as late as May. Fall migrants have been reported in September. Florida populations increase

considerably in winter with the influx of northern migrants. Florida is probably the southernmost wintering

ground for Black-crowned Night Herons from the eastern United States.

Status. Because it is a wetlands-dependent species, it is considered a Species of Special Concern by the Florida

Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals .

The statewide breeding distribution of the Black-crowned Night Heron follows the availability of wetland habitat

Most nesting colonies are located in central and southern Florida, with scattered colonies in north Florida. Howe

(1932) mentions breeding in Pensacola, but no records west of Wakulla County were obtained during the Atlas

project. No trends are currently measurable for this ubiquitous species. 

http://legacy.myfwc.com/bba/docs/bba_BCNH.pdf

New HD videos uploaded frequently. Subscribe at: 

http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=MyBackyardBirding

Black Crowned Night Heron

Green Heron Up Close

Video: Green Heron Up Close

Beautiful emerald and chestnut Green Heron preening in just the right sunlight to really show off how striking this wading bird is. Seen at a distance and in the shade it is a stocky dark looking heron, but there is a reason its called the Green Heron. Up close and against the late afternoon sun is the way to appreciate this great bird.

The green heron is relatively small; adult body length is about 44 cm (17 in). The neck is often pulled in tight against the body. Adults have a glossy, greenish-black cap, a greenish back and wings that are grey-black grading into green or blue, a chestnut neck with a white line down the front, grey underparts and short yellow legs. The bill is dark with a long, sharp point. Female adults tend to be smaller than males, and have duller and lighter plumage, particularly in the breeding season. Juveniles are duller, with the head sides, neck and underparts streaked brown and white, tan-splotched back and wing coverts, and greenish-yellow legs and bill. Hatchlings are covered in down feathers, light grey above, and white on the belly.

The green heron's call is a loud and sudden kyow; it also makes a series of more subdued kuk calls. During courtship, the male gives a raah-rahh call with wide-open bill, makes noisy wingbeats and whoom-whoom-whoom calls in flight, and sometimes calls roo-roo to the female before landing again. While sitting, an aaroo-aaroo courtship call is also given.

New HD videos uploaded frequently. Subscribe at: 

http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=MyBackyardBirding

Video: Green Heron Up Close

Snowy Egret Fishing - Oh those Yellow Feet!

Video: Snowy Egret Fishing - Oh those Yellow Feet!

Beautiful Snowy Egret with bright yellow feet, uses them to help stir up fish while hunting. Unlike most herons that patiently sit and wait to strike a fish, the Snowy Egret is on the move - stirring up the bottom and exciting fish with those big yellow feet and covering a lot of ground to stalk fish. Snowy Egrets are one of my favorite birds with their striking pure white plumage and sexy yellow feet they always make my day! If you've never seen on on the move you are in for a treat!

New HD videos uploaded frequently. Subscribe at: 

http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=MyBackyardBirding

Video: Snowy Egret Fishing - Oh those Yellow Feet!

Snowy Egret in Florida

Video: Snowy Egret

The Snowy Egret is a species of special concern in Florida and relatively rare to get close to in the wild. It is my favorite wading bird with its friendly expression exotic plumage and cute yellow feet. This one still has a lot of yellow on its legs which probably means it is fairly young.

Physical Description

The snowy egret is a small and active wading bird that can reach a height of 26 inches (66 centimeters) with a 39 inch (100 centimeters) wingspan (Parsons and Master 2000).  This species has a full white body, black legs, bright yellow feet, yellow marks around the eyes, and a black bill.

Life History

The diet of the snowy egret primarily consists of shrimp, small fish, and small invertebrates.  It feeds in fresh and salt water habitats within flocks of other wading birds.

The snowy egret begins breeding around late March to early April.  This species nests with other wading birds in swamps and mangroves on islands.  During courtship, the male will point his bill upwards and begin moving his body up and down as he tries to impress the female .  They will nest no higher than 30 feet (9.1 meters) above the ground on a stage of sticks in trees and bushes.  Females will lay three to five eggs, and they will hatch after 23-26 days of incubation.  During incubation, both parents will incubate the eggs .  To feed young, the parents will partially digest food and regurgitate it to the nestlings.  The young are able to fly 25 days after hatching; however, they do not leave the nest until a couple months after first flight.

Habitat and Distribution

Snowy Egret Distribution

Snowy egrets commonly prefer shallow estuarine areas including mangroves, shallow bays, saltmarsh pools, and tidal channels.  This species can be found in the U.S. from northern California, east to South Dakota, and south to Florida where they are widespread year-round residents.  Snowy egrets are also found in Chile, Argentina, and the Greater Antilles.  This species is found throughout Florida.

Threats:

Historically, the snowy egret was overhunted for their plumage (feathers) which were often used for women’s clothing and hats.  Today’s threats to the species are not well understood, but coastal development, recreational disturbance at foraging and breeding sites, habitat degradation, human disturbance, and increased pressure from predators are primary concerns. Similar to other wading birds that depend on fragile estuaries and wetlands for foraging and breeding, snowy egrets are at risk of exposure to persistent contaminants such as heavy metals (ex. mercury) and pesticides .  Snowy egrets compete for nesting sites with growing numbers of cattle egrets, which can be aggressively territorial at colony sites, but the relationship to productivity is not well understood .  Other potential threats to snowy egret populations are alterations to the hydrology of foraging areas, and oil spill impacts to critical breeding, foraging, and roosting sites.

Conservation and Management

The snowy egret is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and as a State Species of Special Concern by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule External Website.

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/imperiled/profiles/birds/snowy-egret/

New HD videos uploaded frequently. Subscribe at: 

http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=MyBackyardBirding

Video: Snowy Egret

Great Egret Visits Backyard

Video: Great Egret Visits Backyard

Great Egret up close. An impressive large bird, Great Egrets are fairly common in Florida wetlands, but this is the first-ever backyard visit by one who inexplicably decided to take a break on top of a small long-leaf pine tree. A tip when filming birds in heavy cover like this - switch to manual focus with servo motor assist off -  total manual control or you might miss it. By its expression the Egret doesn't quite know what to make of the the creature below pointing a camera at it.

New HD videos uploaded weekly. Subscribe at: 

http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=MyBackyardBirding

Video: Great Egret Visits Backyard