Your eyes are like cherries...

...which for must of us would not be a complement, but for our beautiful Tricolored Heron, it fits perfectly! It also fits perfectly with today because it's George Washington's birthday...and we all know about George and his cherry tree!

A beautiful Tricolored Heron stalks the waters at Ibis Pond on Pinckney Island NWR in Hilton Head, SC.

With all the juvenile Tricolored Heron photos I've posted, you know there have to be a few adults around! This adult was across the mote fishing in the shallows. I was sitting up on the hill watching him. The heat was intense that day...so bright and wonderful. The humidity was outrageous too...to be in the heat and humidity now! (These photos are from June 15, 2010.)

The baby Tricolored Heron with the pale bill...

This little Tricolored Heron had two nest mates. Of the three he was the only one with a completely yellow/pale bill (actually, he was the only Tricolored Heron on the island with a completely yellow/pale bill). At first I thought he might be the youngest of the brood, and his bill was still pale because of that, but I looked it up in The Birds of North America Online and found that by day 11 the upper mandible is dark gray. It also says that by day 24 the head, neck and body are covered with reddish feathers, so it looks as if our little guy is at least 24 days old. I guess our little Tricolored Heron is just a bit different...sort of like Rudolf (but I'm not going to call him that!). Are there any experts out there that know about pale bills on Tricolored Herons?

A young Tricolored Heron with a pale bill.

When I first found him in the camera's lens I did a double-take. None of the other Tricolored Herons of similar size had yellow/pale bills. He was beautiful and I kept coming back to him (and I took many more photos of him than the other two because he was so interesting).

His bill was a bit smaller than the other two herons' bills, and he might be a touch smaller too, but mostly all three were close to the same size.

"Pale Bill" and his two nestlings with dark gray bills.

I still have several fun photos from Pinckney Island in Hilton Head, SC to post from our trip last June, so I'll keep popping them in now and then. These were photographed on 6/13/2010, and it was very warm!! (Click here for all of the 2010 Pinckney Island posts.)

Need a little green?

When it's snowing around here it's fun. White and bright, the dancing, tumbling snowflakes bring excitement and beauty--and energy, but when it stops snowing, a thick grey cloud cover usually moves in and seems to drain the color from everything in its path. Although snow is still on the ground, we haven't seen any sparkly little snowflakes for a few days and the anticipation and energy that comes with a good snow has all but fizzled. One to two inches of snow is on the way tonight (yeah!), but right now, it's cold and colorless, so let's go green until the white arrives!

A young Tricolored Heron waits in his nest for his next meal. I took this photo on June 10, 2010 at the rookery on Pinckney Island in Hilton Head, SC (my favorite place to be in early June). It was so hot and steamy and wonderful that day...the sun was intense, the insects were loud, and the thousands of birds on nests were even louder.

I see you too!

If I lived in Hilton Head or anywhere near Pinckney Island, I would be useless. Day after day I would just prowl around Ibis Pond watching, painting and photographing birds. It's Heaven...

Oh no! Is something stuck in his throat?

Nahh...I just photographed him mid "gular flutter." Since birds don't sweat like we do, they need another way to dissipate the heat building up in their bodies. Most simply pant, but others, such as herons, pelicans, cormorants, nighthawks, owls, and even blue jays have the ability to vibrate the muscles in their upper throats (gular area) to speed evaporation from their respiratory tract through their open mouths. When the temp is pushing 100 degrees, you get to see a lot of gular fluttering at the rookery!!

Ack...I could just kiss that wiry-looking little head!!

A Snowy Egret preening...and we raised $1800.00 for the Oxbow!

Yeah! $1800.00 is nothing to sneeze at (although I'm sneezing now because Ich habe mich stark erkältet--which my nieces in Deutschland know means I've caught a very bad cold...uugh! I shouldn't complain, though, because I haven't been sick since October a year ago when I had The Swine, so that's pretty good). The fundraiser was a lot of fun, but it unnerved me a bit because I was worried none of the prints or cards would sell and we'd make no money! I think cortisol production ("the stress hormone") lowers your immune system, so I'm blaming this cold on my weak ego. I shouldn't have worried. Plenty sold, and we made money. Mary and Patrick of the Mason Wild Bird Center ran the fundraiser Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which really helped. Thank you to EVERYONE who bought a print, or a pack of notecards, or some raffle tickets!! In addition to raising money, we raised awareness of the Oxbow, and a lot more people in our area now know about it and hopefully will be able to get out and see it. (Click here if you want to learn more about the Oxbow wetlands near Cincinnati.)

...and now on to the star of this post...a beautiful preening Snowy Egret from the Pinckney Island NWR (and once again, Snowy is appropriate, because snow is on the way. We may get a decent accumulation this weekend, which I'm looking forward to because it always makes the chickadees look even sweeter.)

...beauteous is the only word that fits.

...and meticulous, that word would fit too (meticulous is the only kind of preening a beauteous Snowy Egret knows).

...thank goodness he has long legs to reach that head!

...that's much better.

The Dracula shot. I always love them. I vant to suck your blood...

...and that's what a well-groomed Snowy looks like!

I took these photos on 6-15-2010. It was about 100 degrees F that day...so different from the weather today here in Cincy. Cough, cough...

p.s. Don't forget about the "Great Penguin Rescue" Giveaway! Click here for details and a review of the book.

Snowy Egrets...and the Oxbow Fundraiser

...as I'm writing this post, big, white, fluffy snowflakes are falling to the ground--perfect for a "Snowy" Egret post! It's about 1:15 a.m now....quiet and still...and so pretty.

I wish I could say I photographed these beautiful Snowy Egrets in Cincinnati, but I didn't (I photographed them at the Pinckney Island NWR in Hilton Head back in June)....but, I could have if I were at the Oxbow on May 18 and August 14 of this year because Snowy Egrets were there too. I know...Snowy Egrets in Cincinnati? They are pretty rare around here, but we can still find them every now and then at the Oxbow. I just wanted to remind everyone about the Oxbow fundraiser going on today at the Mason Wild Bird Center. Door prizes...free goodie bags to the first 100 customers...yummy holiday snacks...a raffle with over $1000.00 of prizes (like a Charlie Harper lithograph....really nice binoculars....and much more including prints of several of my bird paintings). You can also buy packs of my art notecards and prints of my bird paintings with 100% of the cost going to the Oxbow. The owners, Mary and Mike, are going to match dollar for dollar all funds raised. Wow!

I'm a Snowy Egret, and I don't hang out much in Cincinnati, but when I do...you can find me at the Oxbow!

The Oxbow is an important fall and spring migratory staging area. Resting and refueling at the Oxbow wetlands helps thousands of birds make it to their southern wintering grounds in the autumn and their northern nesting areas in the spring.

We are so lucky a group of concerned citizens got together in the early 80s and pooled their money to save the wetlands. Because of them, this important migratory staging area remains...and our birds are safe for a little longer.

Help keep my habitat safe! Stop by the Mason Wild Bird Center today for their four-year anniversary celebration and the Oxbow fundraiser!

Click here for details on the Oxbow fundraiser at the Mason Wild Bird Center.

Click here if you want to join and support the Oxbow (memberships start at just $15.00).

Great Egrets in flight...

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

...continued from the Black-crowned Night Heron post.

The slow graceful winging of a Great Egret overhead is one of the most beautiful sights any birder can hope for.

In this photo the sun lights the feathers from above and renders them translucent, also revealing the skeletal wing structure of these gorgeous birds (which cools me out to no end...).

With nearly five feet of wingspan to play with, a Great Egret can create a bit of drama at every take off. He seems to be thinking, "I am gorgeous. I am beautiful. Angels weep with longing as they covet the wonder of my wings..."

(Great Egrets apparently do not suffer from low self esteem.)

...coming in for a landing.

...bright white feathers contrast sharply with the deep greens of the pond as the Great Egret eyes an ideal location to land and forage for his next meal.

Silently skimming across the water...

For bird photography from around the world, check out...

More Black-crowned Night Heron photos...

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

...continued from the previous Black-crowned Night Heron post.

...more photos of the Black-crowned Night Herons. I can never get enough of these twilight-loving, stocky little waders! I love their "hunched-over" posture and amazing red eyes.

...this is the same bird from the previous post. He flew over my head after leaving the juvenile and landed in the pine trees behind me. He sat there quietly for a long time. I took 67 photos of this guy sitting in this exact posture (Why? I do that a lot. We are so lucky we live with digital.) He can totally do "statue." He was so close I didn't even have to creep up on him.

...same bird, similar stance, just not cropped as much.

...after the previous bird continued to be a statue, I decided to look back at the island. This bird caught my eye. I don't remember seeing the babies through the lens (but I forget a lot). It was a total surprise when I zoomed in on the photo and saw the two babies peeping out.

...back to the original juvenile. While the papa (or mama) sat in the pine behind me, this juvenile was still hoping for more food.

...the juvenile wing markings are beautiful. Also...if you look closely you can see the sun shining through the gular pouch.

...hard to believe amber color in his eye will slowly change to the bright red, and the brown and white will eventually become black, grey and white. The browns and ambers really help camouflage him when he's in the shadows.

Black-crowned Night Heron feeding a juvenile

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

...continued from the Tricolored Heron post.

The Black-crowned Night Heron has always been a favorite of mine (the night owl thing and all...), so I was especially happy when I saw the adult feeding the juvenile. Last year I saw a few adults, but no nests...and no young, but this year I saw at least eight adults and three juveniles (and this in the middle of the day!). Unlike the Tricolored Herons from the earlier posts, the Black-crowned Night Herons were nesting in the rookery proper across the mote, so viewing wasn't quite as close, but this juvenile had climbed out of its nest and into the open. As I was walking I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye as the baby flapped his wings, begging for food.

Begging...

Feeding...

Satisfied for three seconds...

Begging...

Running to the store for more food...

The store is far away...

"I'm soooooo alone..."

"Are you my mother?"

Oh my gosh...this was the coolest thing to witness. Our little Black-crowned Night Heron tried so hard to get the White Ibis to feed him, but the poor ibis had no idea what to do. You could just feel "of all the limbs to land on, I had to pick this one..." was going through his head. Soon enough he flew off, much to the juvenile's protestations! When reviewing the photos later, I laughed out loud when I saw the size of that baby's maw!

p.s. I was just over at the new BirdingBlogs.com, and Dawn featured me as her first Bird Blogger of the Week. Click here to check out the new blog.

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.

Snowy Egret feeding nestlings...

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

...continued from the Tricolored Heron takes a walk post.

Even though I try, I can't begin to describe the energy and wonder of the Ibis Pond rookery at the height of the nesting season. There are so many birds and so much action it's hard to decide where to point the camera. Noise is varied and nonstop, sometimes slipping into a state that can only be described as a cacophony, and when you mix in the pungent aroma of regurgitated fish guts spiking here and there as you walk around the mote...with the never ending beauty and variety of birds at every glance, it can actually start to feel like an assault on the senses (but it's a good assault that keeps you coming back for more)!

As the Tricolored Herons from an earlier post were learning to fly in the trees in front of me, to the left, in the trees growing along the mote (again, on our side!), several parents in a mini colony of Little Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets were busy feeding their young while others sat patiently on eggs. Here a Snowy Egret tends to nestlings.

...you can see how the baby's gular pouch has expanded to hold the food.

...and I think we have a glimpse of regurgitated fish guts here--sort of greenish grey. Yum. Just what the baby needs to get big and strong!

...the sun did a beautiful job highlighting the baby's gular pouch. Kind of cool...it was the first time I had ever seen the sun shine through the tiny pouch.

It looks like baby#2 has given up, but he's just resting. He was fed first!

These photos are from June 7, 2010. The rookery was not as far along as the same week last year, but there seemed to be more herons and egrets. It was strange that they had crossed over the mote and were nesting on our side. Not many people were visiting the rookery while I was there. It was hot...really hot...like 100 degrees F hot, so that might have kept people away, but those that did visit were respectful of the nesting birds and kept back. That was good to see. The rookery wasn't quite as pungent or noisy this year either, but I assume a week or so after I left, the noise increased, and as more and more babies hatched out, so too the wonderful smells!

To see cool birds from all over the world, visit Bird Photography Weekly.