Birds and other wild things
by Ruth and Hank Kowalski
LAKE PLACID -- Welcome to our roost! One would be hard pressed to see a more beautiful bird than the Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), our subject bird today. If lucky enough to live near a canal or near a wooded section along a lake front, your chances of seeing this beautiful bird are vastly increased. Our first sighting of this beauty came about one day as we scouted in and around Parker Island, off County Road 29. A sandy road running along a canal beckoned to us and we came upon a Yellow-crowned Night Heron, hunting at the edge of a slow-moving water canal.
Our patience and total silence was rewarded as we watched the bird catch a small fish. Checking our Field Guide revealed that this heron's food source is mainly small crustaceans.
This handsome resident of Highlands County is of medium size (22-27 inches). Adults are gray above and below and the black head is crowned with white and marked with white cheek patches. During the breeding season, a brilliant yellow patch highlights the forehead. Yellow-crowned Night Herons may nest singly, with other Yellow-crowns, or in large mixed-species colonies. Nest sites range from mangroves to Australian pines and live oaks. Loosely constructed stick nests may be found with three or four pale-blue eggs from March through June. Other names for this bird: Crab-eater, Crabier, Grosbee, Gauldin, Arsenicker, Quock, Indian Pullet and Skwok.
Other places where we have seen this bird: Highlands Hammock Park, Lake Istokpoga, Lake Okeechobee and Lake Josephine. It has been seen on many of the field trips directed by the Highlands County Audubon Society and out of our county. These field trips are invaluable, especially to out-of-state birders, beginning birders and even experienced birders who would like to add to their life-list. For a copy of upcoming trips, send us a stamped, self-addressed envelope and we will forward it to you. Our address is 242 Serenade Drive, Lake Placid, FL 33852-8581.
Until next time, we wish you great birding and wildlife adventures. Call us at 465-6618 or e-mail ruthnhankwildbird@htn.net to share your sightings with us and our readers.
Ruth and Hank Kowalski live in Lake Placid and are graduates of the Dr. Reed Bowman Bird Study Course, given at SFCC. Ruth is the original editor/publisher of the local Audubon Society newsletter Sightings. Hank is a past president and conservation chairman.
Sunday, March 07, 2010 - www.newssun.com/0307-birds