Digiscoping at the Heronry

Rick the Reluctant Birder and I headed over to the Great Blue Heron heronry tonight to see if we could do a bit of digiscoping. The nesting activity is really picking up, and we were hoping to capture a few cool images. The viewing area for the heronry is really far away, probably between a quarter and a half mile away, plus the trees are at least 80 feet tall, so it's hard to get decent shots with my camera. Rick is infinitely more technical than I am, so he set the camera up. We used a Swarovski KA TLS 800 35mm camera adapter and a Swarovski DCA Digiscoping adapter, and for the really close-up images, added a Nikon 50mm F 1.8 lens. He used his Nikon D3 camera with the mirror locked up and a wireless remote. The spotting scope is a Swarovski ATM 80 HD, which I love. This was our first time out, and the images aren't that bad when you consider how far away we were. The evening sun was beautiful and lit the nests very well. He shot at a 200 ISO, RAW.

Digiscoped and lit in the warm glow of evening, this Great Blue Heron appears deceptively close.

Without binoculars, you could barely see him...

Watching his long breeding plumes blow in the breeze was a beautiful sight, especially when you consider he's at least 80 feet off the ground at the top of a Sycamore tree and well over a quarter of a mile away!

...flying out for another stick possibly...or maybe just dinner...

This pair was busy nest building. Most of the herons are already sitting on eggs,

but this couple was still footloose and fancy free!

These were the super close-ups. They came out in a funky color of blue, so I desaturated them in Aperture and made them black and white. Knowing how incredibly far away we were, I can't get over the detail. Digiscoping is so cool!!

The babies are leaving home...

Each time I go to the heronry now, I see more and more empty nests...

...which is a good thing! It means the babies have fledged and are now out in the world, but I've been watching these nests and these birds since early February when the males arrived to stake out their territory, and I've gotten used to them and their froggy, croaking sounds! I will miss watching them.

Remember the first seven couples I found paired together on nests? Their babes were the first to go, and all of their nests are empty, but lots and lots of birds are still at the rookery. When you arrive, you see babies everywhere flapping their wings, slowly developing their flight muscles and getting ready to fly off on their own. The baby frog sound has grown much stronger, and there is definitely a lot of croaking (and almost growling) in the air! The colony is very noisy.

Practice!

Practice!

Practice!

Next year I will be better at watching...and maybe I'll have a bigger lens too. I wonder when the last baby will fledge. It will be interesting to see. (For all the heronry posts up to now, just click on the sentence under the Heron painting in the right sidebar.)

For a baby heron, practice makes perfect...

The babies are getting closer to fledging. Lots of them are now exercising their wings, practicing and getting strong enough for that first flight. This baby flapped his wings over and over...then rested. His brothers and sisters weren't interested in exercising.






In another nest, this fellow took his inaugural flight. He raised up and flew about five feet to another branch. It was so funny. When he landed he sort of looked around like, "What just happened?" His brothers and sisters watched from the nest, but no one else dared to try the "wing thing!" 


In yet another nest, this little family of much younger chicks was content to just sit and watch, waiting for mama or papa to return to feed them lunch.

A Great Crested Flycatcher at the Rookery

Today at lunch I headed over to the heronry to check on the babies, and although none had fledged, I was lucky enough to see a few practicing! Although intrigued with the herons’ behavior, when the knocking of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo broke through my concentration, I couldn’t resist ducking out of the cover of the windbreak to try to find him! He sounded like he was over by the edge of the woods near the creek and for a few moments I saw him. The spots on his tail feathers were a dead give-away as I watched him through a small break in the branches.  As I started to walk back to the windbreak, I saw a bird with a yellow belly sitting on a dead branch in the brush pile. Yowsers! A Great Crested Flycatcher! I had heard him sing earlier, but hadn’t recognized the song. Now I knew it. I’d never been able to photograph a Great Crested Flycatcher before, so my adrenalin was pumping and I almost couldn’t focus.

This photo shows the reddish tones in his flared tail.

I was too excited and moved a bit too fast trying to adjust the monopod (why was I even using this thing anyway!). He took off, but only flew a few feet away and dropped to the ground where he hunted through the grass clippings. In the past, I had only seen Great Crested Flycatchers higher up in the canopy of large trees. Why was this guy in the grass?

Maybe he was looking for suitable nesting material 

and the grass clippings looked promising...

Too soon, he flew to the copse of trees by the pond and landed on a dead branch. His mate, absent before, joined him briefly before flying higher in the tree. He soon followed to the top. I’d never been that close to a Great Crested Flycatcher before…and I liked it!

This guy was having a really good hair day because 

his crest almost always was nice and smooth.  

Baby Blue isn't a baby any more!

On the 14th I visited the heronry again only to find the Sycamore leaves had opened almost overnight. The huge trees had been very obliging up to this point by being the last to open, but now they too were budding out. On top of that, the babies had grown! They were so big now they were practically pushing mama and papa out of the nests. Some nests had three and even four chicks in them. How these babies stay put and don't fall out is anyone's guess. While I was there the wind was very strong, and it looked as if one baby would be buffeted out of the nest, but he held tight, taking the winds in stride. Mama and papa didn't seem too worried either. 

For Heaven's sake Baby Blue...get down and stay down. 

It's windy out, and you're standing on the edge of the nest!

It looked like there were two babies in this nest, but as 

the back baby settled down in the nest, two more chicks 

popped up...four babies in one of the smaller nests.

I have no idea how Great Blue Heron babies fledge. I've never been able to witness it in past years because the leaves always come out in full force and obscure our views. Do they hop from branch to branch after climbing out of a nest? Do they jump and soar after mama? Tomorrow morning I'm heading back over to see if any of the babies are ready to leave the nest. Maybe I'll get to watch one fledge! I've read it usually takes three months from the start of incubation to fledging. In this past post,  we can see that on March 6, 2009, four of our Great Blue Herons were sitting on eggs, so it won't be long now!

Poor papa. He no sooner landed in the nest than all 

three babies popped up mobbing him (or her, maybe 

it's mama) for food. They would thrust their bills high 

and sometimes catch their parent's bill in theirs. 

p.s. You may notice the photos are a little blurrier than usual. This is because the nonstop winds kept tossing me around too, making it hard to stand still and get a crisp shot. I guess on very windy days, a tripod would be much better than a monopod!

Cedar Waxwings, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Warblers, and Orchard and Baltimore Orioles at the Great Blue Heron Heronry

While photographing the baby Blues and listening to their froggy little cries, I could hear a mix of other birds' songs in the woodlands surrounding the heronry more so than any other time I had been there. The songs were so pronounced, they kept pulling my attention away from the herons. I heard two Wood Thrushes in the woods, and over by the small creek, a Swainson’s Thrush...and while those beauties were singing, a Baltimore Oriole started in by the tree line just past the pasture. I looked up and found him gleaning insects…next to him by about 15 feet, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak doing the same thing. As I shot a few photos of the Grosbeak, I heard that distinctive chitter-chatter of a Cedar Waxwing and soon 10 to 12 followed, hopping from branch to branch searching for caterpillars, ants, moths, beetles and any other type of insect they could find. The calls kept coming, varied, and fast…a Nashville Warbler popped into view as well at two “Butter Butts” (Yellow-rumped Warblers), along with a couple other migrants I didn’t have enough time to identify. The bird song blended with the baby Blues' cries to create an energetic and unique sound…a constant barrage of life that was very exciting! I wanted to make sure I could remember what it sounded like, so I closed my eyes and let it sink in. (I can tell you, however, as I sit here writing, I can't recapture the sound in my mind. I guess it's one of those things you have to hear to experience, and when it's gone, it's gone.) In another tree, I saw movement and an Orchard Oriole came into view. I had just read about them earlier in the day, so my brain immediately IDd the bird. I watched him through the binocs, studying his coloring, which was a shade or two darker and rustier than the Baltimore Oriole. After about an hour of watching and listening to the herons and migrants, I had to leave. Some of the birds had moved on and weren't singing quite as much; however, the babies……..they hadn’t let up their cries for food one iota!

A Red-breasted Grosbeak foraging in the trees surrounding the heronry.

A flock of Cedar Waxwings joins them. They 

seem to be especially interested in the tassles!

Our babies are growing up!

This afternoon I went to the heronry to check on the babies. As soon as I got out of the car I could hear that wonderful sound the babies make as they cry out for food and their "voices" all blend together. I am always surprised how far the sound carries and how unique it is. If you didn't know better, you would think you were near a pond on a summer's night, because the peculiar, low-level croaking conjures images of hundreds of baby frogs. Every now and then a large croak or bark comes from one of the parents, but mostly it's just the chicks' nonstop request for food! Today, some of the babies were big enough to sit up in the nests, so I got a really good look at them. Many already resemble their parents and even look like miniature Big Blues! While looking at them through the binocs, I noticed I could see their little necks vibrating as they cried out, waiting for mama or papa to feed them. 

See the little pouch under his bill? As each baby 

demanded dinner, the pouch would vibrate with their cries. 

It was an unusual sight, and they cried endlessly! 

Even though babies are in the nest, papas are still 

dropping off sticks for nest construction. I guess 

you can never have too many sticks in your nest!

This mama has three babies to feed, and 

these are the largest babies in all the nests.  

Since the heronry is made up of a colony of many birds, 

quite a large age discrepancy exists between the babies. 

Some couples had already formed bonds in February, 

while others, like our First Heron (from our first heron post), 

did not yet have a mate and were only starting to construct 

their nests. You can tell that the baby in this nest 

is much younger than many of the other babies.

P.S. I used Rick's older camera to take these photos because I had forgotten to charge the battery, but I think this camera might take better photos. I'll have to experiment and test out the camera (same lens).

Baby Blue pops up at the heronry!

Today the sun came out and the rain stopped (finally), so I ran over to the heronry for a bit. It was around noon and not much was happening. All the nests had mamas and papas hunkered down and resting. One nest had a heron standing in it, and at first, I thought he or she was turning the eggs or adjusting the nest, but then suddenly, Baby Blue popped up! What a cutie!



The baby was not very big, and as I studied the other nests, herons would occasionally stand and thier babies would pop up. All were small; however, I could hear a chorus of baby herons and was surprised at the light, froggy sound and how far it carried. Yeah! Things will really start picking up at the heronry now (as long as the leaves stay tucked away!).

Two Field Sparrows in Big Blue's side yard...

I had a little extra time today, so I headed over to the heronry. All the nests were occupied with little heron heads peeping over the tops, but what caught my eye was a tiny peep and movement in the huge brush pile in the field over by a small pond. I’ve been hoping to see a Field Sparrow, because…I haven’t seen one yet!! I know it’s a common bird, and everyone’s seen one, but not me, so my heart leapt when I saw the pinkish-orange beak and legs through the lens of my camera. Finally!! A Field Sparrow, and I couldn’t have stumbled upon a more obliging couple. These two little cuties were very brave and let me get surprisingly close. I did the old “stand still like a tree and maybe they won’t notice me thing,” and slowly, I was able to approach the brush pile to get some nice shots.


I can see why these little birds hang out in the grass and brush and low bushes. They blend right in like they are wearing the latest in camouflage.




In the sun, their little beaks seemed to glow pink-orange, and I knew they were Field Sparrows before I looked through the lens. This couple stayed together foraging in the grass and in and out of the twigs in the brush pile. They would peep every now and then, but did not do any singing.




Sometimes one would tug at nesting material and pick it up, but I couldn’t find where they were taking it. I stayed and watched for a long time. They were very sweet. Funny thing, they seemed to like the little electronic sound the camera would make as it focused. It’s a very tiny peep sound, right before the click. When I got home and read about them in my bird guides, I found out that they are known for being tame and curious and respond to squeaking and pishing by birders! So that explains why they stuck around listening to the camera squeak.

Looks like a little nesting preparation is going on!

Business as usual at the heronry...and our Chipping Sparrows are back!!

Just about all the couples at the Great Blue Heron rookery are sitting on nests, and the activity seems to be increasing during the day. Some of the nests have been occupied for almost a month. The first day I saw any of the couples sitting on a nest was March 6, and it takes about a month for the eggs to hatch, so any day now…

Three of the six sycamore trees that support the colony 

of herons nesting in the rookery. The heronry looks 

almost empty here, but it's completely full. Little 

heads can be seen just above the rim of the nests.

Last week on the 26th they were sitting on nests…

Today on the 31st, again they are sitting on nests... But today there was a whole lotta shakin’ going on! The mama or the papa would get up, move around a little, play with the nest a little, or turn the eggs a little…then settle back in, which was neat to watch…sort of like “whack a mole” at the amusement park only    i  n     s  l  o  w     m  o  t  i  o  n     !

She or he's up, adjusting the nest or rotating the eggs...

...and down, keeping the eggs warm.

...and his or her neighbor is up, adjusting the nest or rotating the eggs...

...and down, keeping the eggs warm.

Beak Bit
Male and female herons take turns sitting on the eggs, but the Birds of North America Online site indicates that the males sit on the nests for about 10.4 hours each day and females only 3.5 hour each day. The female does most of the incubating at night. Adults usually spend about 54 minutes of each hour sitting on eggs, and they rotate the eggs about once every 2 hours. The females do most of the nest constructing, but the males bring in sticks for the nests.

Even though most of the birds have been sitting on eggs, males still continue to bring in sticks for the nests. It's almost a continuous stream of herons flying in with sticks.

Papa bringing another stick in for the nest...

While I was watching all the popping up and down of the herons, I suddenly heard the familiar buzzy trill of a small flock of Chipping Sparrows! Yeah! They are back. I watched and listened to them trill down the tree line. There were five of them, and they were, needless to say, exceptionally cute. I spent too much time watching them and not enough time trying to photograph them, but I did catch a Song Sparrow that was about 20 feet away.

...the Song Sparrow looking slightly ruffled...

No bluebird sightings today, however...

Note   If you're just tuning in to this blog, you might want to go to the first entry in this series to find out more about these herons.