Dateline – April 21, 2013

NOTE: This post is part of a continuing series of observations: [ First |<< Prev | Next >> ]

The herons and egrets at the UTSWMC rookery jockey and compete with each other for the best nesting sites. As pairs of mated birds try to establish and claim nesting sites, other will try to push them out and take over. The result is a kind of “musical chairs” around and around the branches of a choice tree.

This pair of Tricolored Herons has relocated from where I found them last week. They share this tree with Snowy Egrets—dozens of them. The herons are very out numbered. The similarly-sized Snowy Egrets must have encouraged them to move on, because a mated pair of the white birds now possess the heron’s nest from last week.

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

Tricolored Heron - UTSWMC Nest Update 1

NOTE: This post is part of a continuing series of observations: [ First |<< Prev | Next >> ]

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