Monday, June 8, 2009

Green Heron & Wood Ducklings- Millbury

I went over to the Millbury Bike Path for about two hours or so after work and decided to stay in one area which turned out to be well worth it. I was looking at some Mallards sunning themselves on a log when suddenly a bird flew past me an onto the shore near the edge of the river. This Green Heron decided to make a quick stop for dinner and I was thrilled to have caught it.
This was the first time I was able to really observe a Green Heron and they are absolutely fascinating birds to watch while they hunt for food. The bird stalks its prey the way a cat would and then delivers a final blow to the unsuspecting fish and this little heron never missed. It stayed in the area for about 20 minutes until it left via some tall grass and into some trees. I stuck around for a while after that seeing if it would return again and also hoping I could find a mate but no deal.

This same area brought me my first sighting of a mother Wood Duck with her ducklings. So cute!! This time of the year is so much fun for birding because of all of the young I see on an almost daily basis. Who said June birding was boring!


The muskrat who lives around that area was busy too carrying leaves to its den I am assuming.

Speaking of young, here is a recently fledged House Sparrow which is the predominant bird in downtown Worcester.

I don't like these birds in my yard but will watch them when at work when I need to get away to clear my head. I can always guarantee there will be House Sparrows and House Finches whenever I venture outside for coffee.

And a lousy shot of one of the young Peregrines. I had lunch today with the woman who tracks them and we went to the window where the young will start to go to in the next few days. We were hoping today would be the day and we both had our cameras in tow, but the youngins wanted to part of it. You should see all of the skeletal remains and feathers that are out on that ledge though!!! The ledge itself is a lot wider than I first thought and it is covered with good sized rocks which makes the surface great for the young Peregrines when they first start walking. I am hoping they get out there at some point this week and I will be able to get over there for pictures.

Take care everyone.






16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice Green-backed heron. I haven't bumped into one in years! Oops, did call that a Green-backed Heron? Like I said, it's been a long time. I see that they mucked around with its name, LOL. (I'm getting old)

A New England Life said...

Great shots Kim! I've never seen a GB Heron up close, and I've never ever seen a Wood duck! To see a female with her babies would be so exciting!

Nope, June is definitely NOT a boring month for birding!

Sharon

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Kim, I love seeing the wood duck and her ducklings... CUTE!!!

Hope you get to see the Falcons when they fledge...Keep us posted.

Hugs,
Betsy

Kelly said...

...love the Green Heron. He is a gorgeous bird. Always love the Wood Ducks!

Tina said...

Kim,
I see I am very behind in catching up with your postings..busy..busy and some computr problems!! grrr anyhow, love all your powerline catches..can't help you with your id of your mystery bird ..just saw a pewee as a first the other day! You sure are getting a lot of lists checked off..nice! Aren't those green herons fun to watch? I think they are one of my fav birds to just sit and watch hunt! Hope to see those little falcons soon..what a neat thing to be able to watch them grow and hopefully fledge!!

Dawn Fine said...

Green Heron..
One of my favs!
The wood duck with babies...ten of them! nice..
And the muscrat...so cool
gee you sure do see allot of good stuff after work!
Oh and see if you can get a shot of the peregrines skeletal remains..well..not the bird..but what its been eating...ha..for weird folks like me that are just curious!

I guess you wont be joining us this weekend @ Barn Island or Mt Auburn Cemetery ..Boo hoo..I was looking forward to meeting you

Warren and Lisa Strobel said...

We have Hairy Woodpecker fledglings coming to the feeder already! It always surprises me that they can raise them so quick!

NCmountainwoman said...

I agree with you. Fledge time is every bit as good as migration. Love the Wood Ducks.

Nick S said...

Lovely variety there Kim. I still haven't seen a Green Heron !

Chris Petrak said...

Interesting how many young woodies there were. I saw 2 females yesterday on a pond, but one had one and the other had two. It's a pond with lots of snappers and I suspect they were taken.

Deborah Godin said...

We have a muskrat and some mallards with 11 babies in the ditch beside the road. I wish the town would post signs about slowing down for wildlife crossing back and forth to the lake, etc. You photos look like they're in a much more protected area! So sweet, that little 'rat!

Rick (Ratty) said...

Great pictures of the heron and the ducks. Reading the falcon updates is always one of my favorite things here.

Alan Pulley said...

Hey Kim,

Looks like you had a great afternoon! Love the photo of the mama wood duck with her babies. Are there any wood duck nest boxes set up around the lake?

Shelley said...

I was so happy to see all those wood ducklings - such a large family! Their population has been on the decline sadly. Great photos - that Green Heron is a sharp looking bird.

MaineBirder said...

I have been trying and trying to get photos of a Green Heron. And Wood Duck chicks too. You have been lucky getting these photos! Am I hinting at jealousness? You betcha!

Oh no, you are not joining us Saturday at Plum Island? Bummer!

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