For young Tricolored Herons, it’s all about the spike…

Birding Hilton Head Island, SC and Pinckney Island at the Ibis Pond Rookery

...continued from the Snowy Egret feeding nestlings post.

Spiked head feathers were all the rage among the young Tricolored Herons at the Ibis Pond rookery at Pinckney Island!

I'm young, and I'm cool...

...sometimes. Other time I just look like I'm growing grass out of the top of my head.

(His brother seems to agree.)

...spiky head feathers or not, there's no getting past the beautiful structure of their faces and the intense look in their eyes that stirs up thoughts of a walking and squawking prehistoric beast.

I spike, therefore I am.

These two Tricolored Herons stood strong in their nest as they waited for their parents to come and feed them.

I was still sitting up on the hill watching the Snowy Egret feed the babies when these two Tricolored Herons caught my eye. Their nest nest was down by the water in a willow tree--again on our side of the mote. The mama and papa visited them several times while I watched and photographed the Snowy Egrets. I was using my 70-200mm lens with the 2x extender, but considering how far away I was and how many leaves I was shooting through, it looks like I had a more powerful lens. I did use the tripod to help with stabilization, but mostly it was the Nikon and The Force that focused past the leaves and did all the work.