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.

The Other Blue Heron

This is the heron whose nest I spotted a couple of weeks ago, over near our church. The palm trees are over by an apartment complex, and it occurred to me today that the people on the upper floors probably have a very good view of the nest from above. I hope they're taking advantage of it.

The upper picture shows how very well the herons camouflage themselves, even though they are very big, blue(ish) birds.

Library Blue Heron

The library blue herons were more retiring than usual.

All but one, that is. He was ready to stand tall and tell the world what he thought.

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. 

Balboa Library: Blue Herons

They were having quite a convention the other day. There were at least five in the tree, plus babies. I still don't know how many nests are active, but it's quite a lively, chatty collection.

Dignity

A blue heron comes in for a landing behind the Balboa library.

Blue Heron

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

 

Herons

The herons in back of the Balboa branch library are learning to fly. Soon they will be gone and about their heron business.

In the meantime, they're making short flights, wobbling a bit as they land, and thinking about it before taking off again.

Blue Herons

The herons nesting behind the Balboa Branch Library are getting more active; I'm pretty sure these are two of the babies--they look a bit too scruffy to be adults.

There are also some herons nesting in a tree in the nearby median. I've been using this tree as a landmark for years and only noticed the nests this year.

Around Balboa Bay

Sometimes the pelicans that show up on the pier seem disoriented. This one was in full possession of all of its senses and begging shamelessly.

I often admire the gardens along the walkway as I visit Balboa. This one particularly caught my attention. Isn't it stunning?

The blue herons are back!I first saw them nesting outside the Balboa branch library last year and wondered how I'd never seen them before. There are, I think, three active nests there. No hatchlings yet, as far as I can tell, but if you look carefully, you can see a bird sitting up on the nest.

More Herons

Still the ones behind the library.

I really do not know how I missed them all those years. They are not only there, they are noisy. Of course, when I went to take a video clip to demonstrate to everyone just *how* noisy, they had quieted down.

One of the pictures shows a chick (very large) being fed, but it's kind of behind branches, so I'm not sure how apparent it is.



Oh, and someone did tell me there were a couple of years when they didn't come because the trees had been pruned too much, so that's two (or so) years of non-observance I am not guilty of.

A Day with Herons in It

It's amazing how many things one does not see.

I've been going to the Balboa Branch library for years.

This is the first time I've seen the herons nesting out back.

They come every year.

And I've never seen them.

But at least I saw them yesterday.