What Little I Know

Gentle reader, I owe you an update about the green herons and their brood. I would have been more forthcoming had there been happy news to share. But I haven't been eager to report the sad things we've witnessed in the Garden. Here's an outline of what little I know:

• June 8: Nestlings seen, just barely visible by their movement and still within the nest
• June 18: 3 chicks seen out of the nest and up in the pine branches, documented by my colleague Christina (photo)
• July 2: We see one dead chick on the ground
• July 11: We notice the nest is significantly dismantled (photo). Is this evidence of predation?
• Mid-July: We see a second dead heron chick on the ground
• August 4: Wildlife rescue service picks up a third chick, reportedly not doing well

In my reading about Green Herons, I learned that they are most diurnal when raising young. When they're not tending to a brood, they shift to more nocturnal habits. And this information fits with my experience --- since early August, I haven't once seen a Green Heron in the Garden.