Rondeau Ric

  While out on the pontoon boat we came across this black crowned night heron with the long breeding feather. We usually see them in the fall with winter plumage. Not colourful but still a good looking bird. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 7, 2025. Nycticorax nycticorax Young Black-crowned Night Herons leave the nest at the age of 1 month but cannot fly until they are 6 weeks old. They move through the vegetation on foot, joining up in foraging flocks at night.

They may attract fish by dipping their bill into water and vibrating it rapidly, creating a disturbance in the water that mimics motions made by prey fish, which this one was doing. Once they have caught prey, they shake their head rapidly, much like dog, until the prey is stunned or killed. Black crowned night heron, Rondeau Bay  Area, August 27, 2024, Ontario, Canada. Nycticorax nycticorax

Another image taken from the pontoon along Rondeau's marsh edge. We came upon a pair of immature night herons and they posed beautifully for me. Far too many images to chose from. Nycticorax nycticorax Young Black-crowned Night-Herons leave the nest at the age of 1 month but cannot fly until they are 6 weeks old. They move through the vegetation on foot, joining up in foraging flocks at night. source -https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/

From last year, a juvenile black crowned night heron in Rondeau Bay, Rondeau Provincial Park. Nycticorax nycticorax Young Black-crowned Night-Herons leave the nest at the age of 1 month but cannot fly until they are 6 weeks old. They move through the vegetation on foot, joining up in foraging flocks at night.

This black crowned night heron was starring down some small morsel just before it pounced. Photo taken at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Naples Florida. Nycticorax nycticorax Young Black-crowned Night-Herons leave the nest at the age of 1 month but cannot fly until they are 6 weeks old. They move through the vegetation on foot, joining up in foraging flocks at night. The oldest Black-crowned Night-Heron on record was 21 years, 1 month old. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

We were out on the pontoon slowly working our way along the edge of the marsh when this immature black crowned night heron took flight. We had good birds today, bald eagle, great blue heron,green backed heron, swamp sparrow, lots of king birds, cedar waxwings, northern harrier,one red winged blackbird,cormorants, wood ducks and more. Nycticorax nycticorax Young Black-crowned Night-Herons leave the nest at the age of 1 month but cannot fly until they are 6 weeks old. They move through the vegetation on foot, joining up in foraging flocks at night. The oldest Black-crowned Night-Heron on record was 21 years, 1 month old. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

On the hunt , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. This black crowned night heron forgot to check the time and was out hunting in the middle of the day. We watched him from across a drainage ditch using the car as a blind( hide for my European friends). He was successful and had sushi for lunch. Adults are light-gray birds with a neatly defined black back and black crown. Immatures are brown with large white spots on the wings and blurry streaks on the underparts. Adults have all-black bills; immatures have yellow-and-black bills. Scientific stuff - Nycticorax nycticorax Scientists find it easy, if a bit smelly and messy, to study the diet of young Black-crowned Night-Herons—the nestlings often disgorge their stomach contents when approached. Young Black-crowned Night-Herons leave the nest at the age of 1 month but cannot fly until they are 6 weeks old. They move through the vegetation on foot, joining up in foraging flocks at night. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-crowned_night-her...