On his own!

  This must be a good year for baby birds.  Usually, it seems that most birds nest during the springtime and then maybe once again during the summer.  My cousin, Michelle, has numerous bluebird houses in her yard and each pair of bluebirds continue to nest even though the summer is starting to wane into fall.  Here it is the same thing.  I have noticed that my shorebirds are nesting more times than usual this year. Just a few days ago, I was photographing a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron as it perched itself on the pier.  I assumed that this was of the last nesting for the summer but, apparently, I was wrong.  Today, I came across a tiny night heron as it was trying to catch something for supper.  It was so thin and puny that I worried about the little thing. Perhaps its mother had put it out on its own far too soon.  I watched a bit to see if it would catch a fiddler crab or if it was lacking in hunting skills.  

  The little tot tried hard to snatch up a fiddler crab but was having no luck.  Just as I thought that I was going to have to lend a helping hand, the bird turned its attention to the bull minnows that were trapped in the tide pools.  These were far easier prey for the little newbie bird. After two or three minnows went sliding down the bird's gullet, I felt a little more at ease.  Maybe the little thing was not adept enough to catch the fast fiddler crabs but those minnows would fill his belly.  I needn't worry.
  
  Yellow-crowned Night Herons are some of the most proficient hunters that live around the Bayou.  Their hunting skills cannot be matched by the other birds.  They will stand motionless for long periods of time until some hapless critter wanders (or swims) near them.  They then snatch their prey from the water and down it all in one action.  Although they have these great skills, they are not above begging for a free handout.  These, I readily give since I really like night herons.  It made me happy to see that this little one was well on its way to surviving! Good job, Little Fellow, good job!