Cattle Egrets at Pinckney Island

Birding Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR, SC 

...continued from Monday's post on the baby Tricolored Herons.

I did a double-take when this beautiful white bird stepped into view. I was only about 40 feet from the nesting Snowy Egrets, so for a split second "just another Snowy" formed in my mind, but my brain knew something was up and its power of recognition spit out that conclusion quickly and replaced it with that "It can't be...but I know it is...at least I hope it is...It has to be...but it's probably not" feeling. (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about!) Hope seared through me, and I held my breath, watching. He was perched deep in the shadows of a scraggly willow, hidden by a thicker curtain of leaves than those hiding the baby Tricolored Herons. But then he moved, and he stepped into an open patch of sunlight, and with one long stretch of his leg moved up a branch, turned around, and revealed those beautiful pale orange plumes on his back seen only during the breeding season. I couldn't believe it. Another new species...a Cattle Egret, and nary a pasture or cow in sight! 

You can always see the pale orange feathers 

on his head, but the the plumes on the back 

only remain during breeding season.

"I have a haughty glare in my eyes, but truly I'm gregarious 

and friendly. Please don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

"Don't underestimate my beauteousness, 

and make sure you get the profile."

"I'm in love...I'm all shook up!"

After I photographed this Cattle Egret, I noticed a small flock of about five birds to the right of him (or her), but they were deep in the branches. Later on, I came back to this spot and two were in open view. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any Cattle Egret chicks or nests. Either they weren't born yet, or they were nesting closer to the interior of the heronry. 

Beak Bit

Jim McCormac writes in his book, "Birds of Ohio," that Cattle Egrets can be found anywhere in Ohio during migration. During the breeding season they have been found nesting in a small heronry near Lake Erie in Ohio. (With all this Ohio action, why did I have to travel to South Carolina to find one?) Cattle Egrets are native to Africa but have spread to every continent on earth (except Antarctica). They often hang out in pastures where they eat the insects stirred up by the cattles' hooves. 

Three Baby Tricolored Herons at Pinckney Island NWR, SC

Birding on Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR, SC…continued from Saturday’s post on the Tricolored Herons.
These little fellows were hidden much deeper in the branches than the Little Blue Heron chicks, so I had to work to get my camera to focus in on them (and the photos aren't that great). The baby Tricolored Herons do not have a white color morph like the Little Blues, but they do have a different color pattern than the adults. Immature Tricolored Herons have a chestnut brown head and neck with the scruffiest looking light brown feathers on the top of their heads that you can imagine. Truly, their crazy scruffy little head feathers are adorable and make you fall in love with them at first glance.

They are so well nestled among the green leaves 

it's like we are peaking into a secret little world. 

 

Let's zoom in on those little heads to see their crazy spindly head feathers. 

These three siblings were very sweet and not nearly as active as the Little Bue Heron chicks from the earlier post. Although a little larger than the Little Blue Heron chicks, I think they might have been younger. If I had stopped by a week later I bet they would have been scrambling all over the branches like the Little Blues were.

Tricolored Herons and an Anhinga at Pinckney Island NWR, SC

Birding on Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR…continued from Thursday’s post on the alligator.

On my second visit to Pinckney Island I was even more excited than the first. This time I knew what was there, and I also knew it was all good, so when I pulled off 278 and hit Happiness Way, exhilaration was what I was feeling. I couldn’t get to Ibis Pond fast enough and didn't even spend any time birding the parking lot area. On my first visit I had not seen any Tricolored Herons, so I assumed they weren’t nesting on the island, but what I didn’t know was I just hadn’t made it to their neighborhood yet. I started the day's trip by revisiting the Snowy Egrets and the Little Blue Herons (and checking for the alligator, who wasn’t there), and while I was standing there trying to decide should I go right or left, a Tricolored Heron coasted in over my head and landed about 20 feet to the right! (I LOVE this place!). I followed him over and found several Tricolored Herons hanging out together. Not too much squabbling, but every now and then a few males would let their presence be known with that funny, nasally moaning sound.

This sweet fellow led me directly to his nest and his mate.

These birds are gorgeous. They are so slim and trim, 

and their feathers are beautiful! 

Birdy bookends. In breeding season their bills are blue, but they

will fade to yellow as the end of the breeding season draws near.

The Tricolored Heron is the only dark heron with a white belly.

The little white topknot  feathers appear during 

breeding season. Such a stylish addition!

This little section of the island was home to a mix of Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, Cattle Egrets, and of course, the ever-present Ibis. I wish I had written down a few more notes about this part of the island because I’m already starting to forget the little details, but I do remember one thing. With the click of that last photo, I backed right into a plant with lots of thorns -- small little razor-sharp thorns that ripped the skin as I tried to pull away and then stayed in the skin until I pulled them out. And…boy, oh boy did it bleed! Twenty-seven in all, at least they came out easily and didn’t hurt that much, but they left a big stinging sensation I didn’t like one bit. There’s nothing like seeing blood running down your leg to make you feel like a real birder. I hate to say it, but I kind of dug it, because it made me feel tough…like I was out in the wilds on my own surviving with just a compass and a camera. I had lens tissues in my little pack and after pulling out the thorns, used them with a little water to clean up the scratches. It seeped for a while, and I vaguely had thoughts of the possibility of poisonous thorns, but I soon forgot it as I noticed an Anhinga sitting on top of a tree. He was pretty far away (and the photos are poor), but I could still see the bare blue-green skin around his eye indicating he was in breeding season.

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...on alligators and full memory cards...

Birding on Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR…continued from Wednesday’s post on the Snowy Egrets.
…I have to admit that the alligator was quite a surprise. I knew all along alligators could be lurking in the water, watching me, but I had been birding for at least 5 hours and hadn’t seen one, so I had forgotten about the possibility of a prehistoric presence. When I did finally see one, it was almost a relief (“Okay, now you know they are there. Be careful. Pay attention. Oooh…and go get his picture!”). He was really cool and fascinating…and just so different than the norm back home. A snapping turtle is probably the worst thing we would encounter in a pond in Cincy. I took a bunch of photos, which all looked the same--a big log with unblinking eyes. I know I’m repeating myself and said the same thing yesterday, it’s just those eyes were the creepiest part. He kept giving me that crazy alligator eye, which is very unnerving.

Eventually I moved on, or actually back. I wanted to get a few more shots of mama Snowy on the nest. I snapped one, and then nothing. My camera had stopped working….What? Then it dawned on me…my last memory card….full. So I put the lens cap on the lens and kept walking. I didn’t need to take photos to bird, but without the camera to drive me I started noticing how badly my foot hurt, and the fact that I could barely walk anymore was sinking in quickly…and I started remembering the doctor told me not to walk too much, so I headed to a bench and sat down to write a little, and just watch, and listen. My water was gone, my foot was killing me, and the alligator was still giving me the crazy eye, so I called it a day and slowly headed for the car (which was a very long walk). I knew I’d be back either tomorrow or the next day, and this time I’d bring three memory cards!

Snowy Egrets (and an alligator) at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (Near Hilton Head, SC)

Birding on Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR...continued from Tuesday's post on Little Blue Heron chicks.
Living right next door to our lovely Little Blue Heron family was a Snowy Egret family. The male Snowy Egret was climbing carefully along a limb until he found the perfect perch and slowly wrapped his yellow-slippered feet around the branch. Looking around, he displayed and fluffed his gorgeous snowy feathers. 






About three branches over in the crook of the tree, his mate was seated on her nest. Every now and then she would stand up and stretch, revealing a clutch of three white eggs.




The male Snowy Egret stayed where he was, studying the bright green water below. I assumed he was looking for fish, but maybe he was looking at something else. Only six feet away and four feet down, a bumpy brown log with unblinking eyes sat waiting.

Three Little Blue Heron Chicks at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (Near Hilton Head Island, SC)

Birding on Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWF…continued from Sunday's post on the Little Blue Heron.

These Little Blue Heron chicks held me spellbound. They were so small they could barely keep their thunky heads upright on their spindly little necks, much less clamber around on the branches, but that’s exactly what they were doing. Climbing and stumbling over each other, they were not content to stay safely tucked away in their nest.

I might be hungry. I might want food.

I'm definitely hungry. I want food NOW!!!

These little chicks will remain white through their first year of life. Immature Little Blue Herons are unique in the heron world because of this first-year color morph. If you look closely you can see a dark blue-grey tipped primary feather on his wing. It's sometimes hard to see.

...can you see that blue-grey tipped feather here? It's a little harder to see in this photo.

Bock! I'm hungry!

Bock! Now I'm doing my rooster imitation. Time to get up!

Dude, can you ever just chill? Enough with the rooster imitation.

Quit pushing me. I want to see if these things work yet!

Beak Bit

Why do the chicks remain white during their first year? Click here to go to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All About Birds" site. In their Cool Facts section, they explain Little Blue Herons often nest near Snowy Egrets and the Snowies tolerate the young more if they are white, plus the immature white-morphed Little Blues seem to catch more fish when they are with Snowy Egrets than when they are fishing alone. It just so happens that the neighbors of these three Little Blue Heron chicks were Snowy Egrets. In addition, the white Little Blue Herons can more easily blend in with larger mixed-species flocks of white herons, which offers them a little more protection from ever-present predators!

Little Blue Heron at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Preserve (near Hilton Head Island, SC)

Birding on Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWF…continued from Saturday’s post on the Green Heron.
I decided to stay and watch the Green Heron fish. Any bird who lays out bait to lure in his dinner deserves a little more attention, and I really wanted to watch him spear a fish, but my resolve was short lived as a dark blue bird gently glided over my head and clumsily landed in a tree halfway between Mr. Green Jeans and the Snowy Egret. It could only be one bird…a Little Blue Heron, and a Little Blue Heron was a life bird for me. With adrenalin surging all over the place, I scrambled over to where he landed. Holy Moly! Tucked in among the leaves was another Little Blue Heron, but this bird wasn’t alone. He was on a nest with three babies! Wow! That really focused me, and I started firing away right and left at the new species, so lovely and dark blue against the green leaves…

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Adult Green Heron at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Reserve (near Hilton Head Island, SC)

Birding Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR…continued from Friday's post on Wood Storks
The Wood Storks continued to pant as the temps rose higher. They would make strange noises every now and then and walk from branch to branch, but mostly they stayed put and rested and panted high in the pines. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about that Green Heron, wondering if he had speared anything. Finally my curiosity won out and I abandoned the Wood Storks for the Green Heron. I couldn't find him at first. He was once again in statue mode and his coloring camouflaged him very well, but then I saw him. He had moved about 3 feet away from his original location and was standing on a little clump of mud.

He walked slowly and cautiously around his tiny 

island. Always watching the green, green water.

Slowly he shifted his gaze to the left...

...and wham! He picked up something....

...but then let it fall back down. He then spent a little time 

moving this little green thing around. I know Green Herons 

put out bait to attract fish. It seemed that was what 

he was doing...arranging his bait, setting a trap.

After a while, he shifted his gaze out. I did too and immediately 

saw a beautiful Snowy Egret about 15 feet to the right. 

I looked back and forth between the Snowy Egret and the Green Heron, trying to decide what to do. Should I wait and watch the Greenie fish, or walk a little further and study the dainty Snowy Egret, or go back and watch the Wood Storks a bit more? What a dilemma!  I can tell you...I'm never faced with these sorts of decisions in Cincinnati (except maybe during spring migration, but the warblers usually abandon me before I ever have to decide to abandon them!).  Can you guess what I did? I'm sure you know...

Wood Storks at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (near Hilton Head Island, SC)

Birding Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR…continued from Tuesday’s Great Egret Post

The heat was really starting to build, so I walked closer to the salt marsh and deeper under the live oaks to escape the sun for a bit. As I walked, I was looking down at the ground. It was so different from what I was used to. White sand had swept in from the salt marsh, and individual blades of grass had poked through the sand and were growing thick and green. Dappled shade thrown from the live oak’s leaves cast bluish shadows on the white sand, while in patches where the sun seeped through, the sand was snowy white. I stopped and wrote about it in my journal because I knew it was something exquisite that I would forget with my next step, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t do that.

Soon I reached the “back” part of the rookery. On the right, the salt marsh had slowly morphed into a pine forest. I continued to walk and watched a Great Egret land in the boughs ahead, only for a second or two, then take off again for a better perch. I knew the Wood Storks were roosting somewhere in the pines, so I was watching carefully, but didn’t see anything. Coming up on the next section of the rookery, the bird density was picking back up, and as I scanned an expansive reed bed, an adult Green Heron materialized right before my eyes. He was frozen among the stalks, bill pointed toward the water, so I locked in on him, hoping to watch him lurch forward to stab a fish, but then out of the corner of my eye I saw movement in the pines to my right, and when I looked up, there they were! A small flock of Wood Storks were resting in the branches. Another life bird for me. As I watched them through the camera lens, I knew they wouldn’t register high on the “classic” beauty scale, but just like the Turkey Vultures, they have their own unique, prehistoric beauty. I couldn’t take my eyes off them (and temporarily forgot about the Green Heron).

Although not "classic" beauty, a dignified, 

peaceful demeanor makes these birds irresistible. 

...that is until they start joking around! It looks like I told 

this guy a funny joke (and he really liked the punch line), 

but really he's just panting in the heat to cool down. 

"I'm in a tree, and I think I'll try to do Tree. 

I love yoga. I am Yoga-Stork!"

"Haha...you're a Goofball-Stork!"

...again...more thermoregulation---panting, panting 

(which is really cool to watch), but I prefer to think they 

are discussing last night's skit on "Late Night with 

Jimmy Fallon," which was very funny.

A Great Egret at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (near Hilton Head Island, SC)

Birding Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR…continued from Sunday's White Ibis post

I could have stayed in that sheltered little cove all day long just watching those leggy wading birds hunting and squabbling with each other. I also was becoming accustomed to the unique smell of that part of the rookery. You can't smell it up on high land, but down by the water, only feet from the island, a unique odor hangs in the air. After all, when over a thousand birds are nesting together and are eating a mix of fish and aquatic animal remains, you can expect something, but the odor wasn’t really that offensive—just unique. I kind of liked it because it was a totally new smell. At the heronry back home, I am so, so far away, probably at least a half mile, that I can’t smell anything. I had read about the unique fishy rookery smell, now I knew what they were talking about!

Just as I decided it was time to move on, a brother and sister climbed down to my little hideaway, so I left them there to enjoy the view and walked back up the small hillside. As I was walking, two older gentlemen came up and with huge smiles on their faces and said, "If you like it so far, wait until you get to the other side. There are easily a thousand birds on this little island." They also let me know Wood Storks were roosting on the other side of the pond in the pines. I was so excited. I came to Pinckney Island NWR looking for two life birds, Painted Buntings and Wood Storks. I couldn’t believe I was going to be able to see both on the same day. As I set off to find those Wood Storks, however, I quickly got sidetracked. There, not more than 25 feet away, was a beautiful Great Egret displaying his showy white plumes. The Wood Storks would have to wait. Who can resist a lime green eye mask (which will be fading soon as the breeding season ends) and spectacular fluffy white feathers...