I believe it was the depth. They were attracted by the hordes of gulls. They circled around the gull flock several times before landing. They probable were hoping for a submerged sand bar.
Nick Komar Fort Collins CO Sent from my iPhone > On Sep 9, 2014, at 10:50 PM, Deborah Carstensen <[email protected]> wrote: > > Were they uncomfortable with the depth of the water or the sudden realization > of the company they were keeping? Deb Carstensen, Littleton > > Sent from my iPhone > >> On Sep 9, 2014, at 9:33 PM, Nick Komar <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> I did observe an entire flock of white-faced ibis (same order as >> night-herons: Ciconiiformes) land in the center of a deep lake, joining a >> communal roost of gulls. They seemed very uncomfortable and almost >> immediately took off again. >> >> Nick Komar >> Fort Collins CO >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Sep 7, 2014, at 12:53 PM, Joe Roller <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> I have been stopping by Grasmere Lake, the southern water body in >>> Washington Park, at Downing and Louisiana, almost daily for a couple of >>> weeks, counting American White Pelicans as their numbers grow - from 4 to >>> 21, now plateauing around 19-21. >>> >>> While there this morning I saw an adult Black-crowned Night Heron >>> (hereafter BCNH) floating on the water! >>> >>> It took me a while to figure out what family this bird was in, let alone >>> species. It was somewhat loon-like, but the thick dagger bill, black crown >>> and gray wings convinced me otherwise. The body was held horizontally, the >>> bill parallel to the water. I watched it for a minute, as it floated, not >>> fishing or swimming. I ran around the south end to get a better look, and >>> by that time it had resumed its normal vertical or hunched position on >>> branches at the water's edge near it's 3 or 4 off-spring. I looked it up: >>> >>> This from the Florida Natualist, Fall, 1973, James Kushlan: >>> >>> Five feeding methods have been previously described for the species: >>> >>> Stand and Wait* & >>> >>> Walk Slowly being the most common; >>> >>> Bill-vibrating, standing in shallow water while rapidly vibrating the bill >>> at the surface, (Stone, 1937; Drinkwater, 1958); >>> >>> Hovering, flying in place above the surface and catching prey without >>> settling into the water (Meyerriecks. 1960); and >>> >>> Swimming- feeding, alighting on the water and catching prey while afloat >>> (Wetmore, 1920). >>> >>> In this article, Kushlan describes "plunge-diving" from the air as a 6th >>> feeding behavior. >>> >>> Has anyone observed the floating or swimming behavior of Night-Herons? >>> >>> Intriguing, I thought. >>> >>> >>> >>> * Milton - "They also serve who only stand and wait." >>> >>> >>> >>> Joe Roller, >>> >>> Denver >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "Colorado Birds" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAJpZcUBPSvAdV1_20aKqJiKnMirJSq-FryJ7n6nUe1ByDb7j4w%40mail.gmail.com. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Colorado Birds" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/017D1F1C-1ED0-47CD-9C42-79EDC003F2B9%40comcast.net. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/31DFDD32-8390-420F-A42D-AB63854E5850%40comcast.net. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
