Day of the Night Herons


First and foremost, Bud and I would like to take a bit of 'time out' to send along our thanks for all the kindness and best wishes during, after and now...the loving words sent here and over at Hootin' Anni's in regards to my recent heart attack were uplifting!!! Now, the slow recovery process. Your thoughts and prayeres were a god-send!! Thank you ever so much!!





Since the month of March is a busy one for beach revelers, we tend to stick close to home anyway regardless of health issues. The islands are butt to butt and bumper to bumper from Brownsville to Galveston, Texas with Corpus Christi in between... with Spring Breakers from around the USA. So...these photos are from a few weeks ago. One day near the end of February, we drove to Port Arnasas, and Paradise Pond was literally swarming with Black Crowned Night Herons. A few others made their presence known, like the Couch's Kingbird, red-winged blackbirds, one red shafted flicker, starlings, the Great Blue Heron, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker...but we were dazzled by active and rambunctious night herons!! For the past two years, the village of Port Aransas had drained the water from the pond to rid a partial crop of the invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree that was suffocating the native plants. And the herons and waterfowl disappeared. Now Paradise Pond is being filled again, and the waders are returning!!! There are dozens of trees and bushes that encase the pond, and each bush and tree were perches for both adult and juveniles...each tree was a sunning spot, with several per branch... with dozens more hidden in the shadows farther back---





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24 comments:

  1. Ginny HartzlerMarch 14, 2015 at 1:29 PM

    Wonderful pictures! This is a bird I have not seen. Love the ponytails! And the red eyes. I am so glad you are back to doing what you love!

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  2. BreathtakingMarch 14, 2015 at 2:28 PM

    Good thing the pond is full of water again.It's a perfect place for the night herons with all the lush vegitation surrounding the water. I counted five in the first photo, what an amazing sight. I like the 3rd shot of the Heron with the quizzical look, but they are all great captures.
    Have a good weekend Annie and take care.

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  3. TexWisGirlMarch 14, 2015 at 2:45 PM

    nice to see a post from you! hoping you can rest and recover fully!

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  4. Phil SladeMarch 14, 2015 at 2:45 PM

    Is this really you Anni and not Bud letting you put your feet up and take a well earned rest? After such a serious situation I didn't expect to see you up and running but I am very pleased you are.

    Take it easy now and just bird in your yard for now huh?

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  5. A Colorful WorldMarch 14, 2015 at 3:09 PM

    Glad to see you are up to running the meme this week! Your trip to Port Aransas yielded a lot! Great photos! Take it easy...spring breakers are hard to deal with at any rate! :-) And you need to ease back into bird watching anyway! Good to see you this afternoon!

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  6. Christian PerrinMarch 14, 2015 at 5:04 PM

    Happy to hear you are recovering after what must have been a scary situation for you, Anni.

    Interesting that you guys have problems with the Brazillian Pepper too - I can see it in the heron photos! It's terrible here in Queensland, invades entire swamps and creek banks.

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  7. FABMarch 14, 2015 at 5:05 PM

    A wonderful encounter and good to hear that the water management is bringing plenty of species back.

    Great to see you posting again Anni but please take it easy.

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  8. PatMarch 14, 2015 at 6:34 PM

    Good to hear the waterfowl are returning to the pond.
    I was surprised to see you back so soon. Do take care of yourself.

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  9. UnknownMarch 14, 2015 at 9:55 PM

    I'm also glad to see you posting Anni. More healing thoughts and prayers your way for a full recovery.

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  10. LindaMarch 14, 2015 at 11:05 PM

    What bright eyes those herons have! I was surprised to see you doing the meme so soon, but it's nice to see.

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  11. Margaret Birding For PleasureMarch 15, 2015 at 2:05 AM

    Hi Anni. Glad to hear that you are recovering well now however please do not over do it. Good to see this lovely post today. Wonderful images of these Herons. Have a restful week.

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  12. ElaMarch 15, 2015 at 5:13 AM

    Anni, I glad that you are back !
    Nice to see your beautiful shots and birds !
    Have a happy Sunday :)

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  13. UppalMarch 15, 2015 at 7:28 AM

    Hoping that you're recovering slowly but surely. Great images and description! Pl. take it easy for some time more!

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  14. Kenneth Cole SchneiderMarch 15, 2015 at 8:44 AM

    Please take your time and take care of your body first. So glad to hear you are on the healing path. The adult night-herons' red eyes are striking. Our colony of Yellow-crowned may not have nests at all this season because of the herbicide treatments. Your pphotos make it easier to tell the difference between our stout-billed juveniles and yours with the delicate bills.

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  15. LindaMarch 15, 2015 at 12:00 PM

    I love the night herons. Good to see a post from you, hope you are on your way to a full recovery.

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  16. Inspired By JuneMarch 15, 2015 at 8:51 PM

    Good to see you back, Anni! Take care of yourself! Praying for patience and healing.

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  17. MontanagirlMarch 16, 2015 at 9:49 AM

    I'm so glad you're feeling okay and on the road to recovery!! Beautiful set of photos you posted!!

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  18. MTWagginMarch 16, 2015 at 10:22 AM

    So glad you are home and recovering and OMG the herons are lovely!!! I have a whole series of snow geese (and some swan) pictures coming up so feel free to visit when you can. Get better!

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  19. Gail DixonMarch 16, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    So, so happy to see you posting already!! I've prayed for you and will continue to do so. Wish I had a bird image to share this week. Your herons are beautiful.

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  20. DebbieMarch 16, 2015 at 5:01 PM

    i am so happy to see a post from you today!!! welcome back, i hope you are on the mend!!! those night herons are amazing, i saw one once!!!

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  21. NatureFootstepMarch 17, 2015 at 1:54 AM

    Oh, I´m sorry to hear you´ve been ill. I´ve been aways for a week. Hope you recover as soon as possible. Thanks for sharing your lovely birds :)

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  22. John eos shooterMarch 17, 2015 at 10:38 AM

    Great blog, nice lay out. You've got yourself a new follower!

    Gr. John

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  23. HelmaMarch 18, 2015 at 1:47 PM

    Beautiful pictures of the night heron.
    In the Netherlands they are very rare
    Greetings, Helma

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  24. eileeninmdMarch 19, 2015 at 6:39 PM

    Hello Anni, great post on the night herons! Awesome photos! I hope you are feeling better now! Thank you for linking up, sorry it am late commenting!

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