The daily email I get from e-Bird alerting me to birds I’ve yet to record this month has been goading me since last week with reports of a juvenile little blue heron hanging out at Veterans Park in Hamilton.
Twice last week I drove down there and didn’t spot the bird. This afternoon, I gave it another try. As I walked the levee path above the lake, I spotted what I thought had to be the little one near the shore. By the time I got close enough to make an ID, I realized I was looking at a great egret.
But there was a white bird perched in a tree across the lake. I took shots from a couple of positions. Checking the shots on my camera monitor, I thought I could make out the telltale green legs and bicolored bill of a little blue. I confirmed the ID on the big screen when I got home, and I’ve posted one of the photos up top.
More was in store at Veterans Park.
I watched a mature bald eagle fly into a tree across the lake, likely the same bird I spotted at Veterans Park a few days earlier.
To my surprise, I spotted a second eagle in the same tree roughly 10 feet down and to the left of the first. Eagle No. 2’s head was not fully white, so I figure it’s likely four years old, judging by this analysis (see photo 4).
There was one more bird left to encounter. I walked the shore of the lake for a short while before heading uphill to the trail. While on the shoreline, I spotted a killdeer pecking along the water’s edge.
I finally got to see the little blue heron, spotted a second bald eagle and added a killdeer to my monthly tally. That’s a pretty good day. 🦅
That’s a fantastic day – and you got some great photos!
Thanks, Sam!