Baby Herons ~ Bless their little hearts!
It’s that time of year again when the herons are nesting. Baby herons are full of character, shall we say. They are playful, mischievous, and sometimes even ornery especially when they are hungry. They are also quite photogenic, in a manner of speaking, as they go through their awkward stages of peach fuzz, bug-eyes, molting of their feathers, and histrionics!
For those of you who are Seinfeld fans, one of the best episodes was when a good friend had an ugly baby and the doctor described it as “breathtaking”. When Elaine and Jerry saw the baby they were aghast. Well, newborn herons are on the borderline between cute and homely, bless their little hearts! :)
The largest of the herons is the Great Blue Heron, then comes the Tri-colored Heron, the Black-crowned Night Heron, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron, and last but not least the Green Heron. Unfortunately, I don’t have any juvenile Tri-colored Heron pics to share with you, but I do have baby pics of all the other herons!
Great Blue Heron juvies you quite often see in pairs. Sometimes there might be three or possibly four. They are quite intense looking with bright yellow bug-eyes and straggly head feathers. Wiry white “hair” feathers make them almost look old and unkempt. Faces only a mother could love! :)
The Black-crowned Night Heron juvies I’ve noticed seem to be very mischievous. They tend to act like they own the place. Case in point…every year in late spring, early summer the Black-crowned Night Herons take over Whitepoint Gardens here in Charleston. They have been nesting up in the large oak trees that provide the wonderful canopy over the park for many, many years. The juveniles, once they are old enough to leave their nest, like to hang out on park benches, on the fountains, and of course up in the trees. They tend to make a bit of a mess wherever they go, so one has to be careful when photographing them from below. :)
The Yellow-crowned Night Heron is a smaller version of the Black-crowned Night Heron. I have found these little rascals to be some of the more photogenic young ones due to their comical antics. They always provide me with a good laugh whether it is a dramatic pose, a big feather fluffing, or looking like they are going to belt out into song!
When it comes to comical I’d have to give the little Green Heron the prize. You talk about peach fuzz! The wispy new head feathers look like bad hair plugs put in sparingly on a cheap budget! When you see three of them together all with their bad doos and confused looks, they remind me of the Three Stooges. Was it Larry with the receding hairline and bad hair? LOL!
The feather patterns and colors change as they grow older, especially with the Night Herons. You wouldn’t even think they are the same species.
I can understand why the adults are happy to become empty nesters every season! First they had to put up with the embarrassment of the kids going through their awkward stages, and secondly the juveniles are constantly looking for a free meal!
The good news is that all of these birds are thriving. I see them almost every day.
I hope you enjoyed seeing these juvenile heron pics. They are like a lot of peoples’ year book pics. I’m sure the birds wouldn’t be too happy if they knew I was sharing them. :)
Thank you for reading my blog and for your interest in my artwork. I’m currently finishing up a sizable painting of a street scene in Charleston. Please check back soon if you’d like to see the finished piece.
“One of the joys of being an artist is having the freedom to follow my passion….”
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Drawing by William R. Beebe