Bolsa Chica Blue Heron Babies

There seem to be several nests in Bolsa Chica all full of busy, hungry blue herons.

Church Heron

Half the time, I can't even tell he's around, but every now and again, he'll come out and pose. This is the baby, straggly-feathered and curious, peering out over the world.

The second picture shows the nest from below. It's the only way to get any real look at all at it.

Pre-Flight Lessons

These didn't seem to me to be flying lessons so much as "These are how you use your wings" lessons. A preparation for flight, perhaps.

More of the Library Blue Herons

The birds were very quiet when I got there, not a peep out of any of them. I thought I wasn't going to get to see them at all until, just as I pulled away, one of them came out. Of course, I had to park again to take pictures.

Median Herons

This tree, right in the middle of the street, has four nests in it. It's difficult to get a good look at it, but I'm sure at least two are active.

Here are two of the babies from different nests enjoying the sun.

Another Blue Heron Nest

I was walking down the street near our church when I heard a familiar, insistent "Kek-kek-KEK." Sure enough, there was a nest in the area, one I had successfully not seen on several walks.

Still working on this whole business of seeing.

And, while I'm at it, I still haven't seen a crow's nest. According to Lyanda Lynn Haupt, they're easy to spot. So far, I've managed to watch crows carrying sticks in a suspiciously nest-building sort of manner (ie, a lot over a given time span and in a fairly purposeful manner), but I've yet to see any building. Some day.

In the meantime, I've some more blue herons to watch.

Peekaboo

I finally caught the baby blue heron in his nest! That's him, peeking up through the leaves there.

I was hoping to record a bit of the noise they make, but people kept stopping by to ask what I was looking at, so all I got was series of jumbled recordings of grass, sky, and tag-ends of conversation.

I can't complain; as I recall, that's how I found the herons myself, the first time, by asking someone what they were looking at. 

Blue Heron

Looks like there will be blue heron babies in Bolsa Chica's future.