Hi Birders, Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, and Double-crested Cormorants are nesting in colonies on the islands at Farrell Lake, the largest lake in City Park, and Duck Lake, on the southwest edge of the zoo. The best show in the park was the Snowy Egret colony on the island in Farrell Lake. And the best place to see all the birds was on the south side of the island where you're within 150-200 feet of the colonies. From here you can easily see and photograph them nesting and foraging. Most of the egret nests are below the cormorants,' and bracketed by the herons'. Our count of the egrets was 13 in late May, and again yesterday. Today there were 11. A wildlife photographer we met while we were watching the birds told us that more are nesting on the far side of the island. For half an hour we watched the egret parents feeding the nestlings. Parents winged in over the nest and cued their partner, already on it and tending the young, to fly off. They then alit on the edge of their nests and billed regurgitated food into the mouths of their fluffy white young. Afterwards, some of them cloaked their young into their wings and then settled them down into the nest, and others just seemed to sink over them and into a white heap. Pretty fantastic. The cormorants are also feeding young, but either the herons are more secretive about tending their young, or are still parents-in-waiting. There is a large, noisy collection of cormorants on Duck Lake, and within it, a few herons and egrets. Hope you can see the egrets! Frank and Nancy Hatch **************Stay connected and tighten your budget with a great mobile device for under $50. Take a Peek! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100122638x1221845911x1201401556/aol?redir=http://www.getpeek.com/aol)
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