コロニー（最終回） / Colony (final)

Although there have been times when there has been too much space between visits, I have been observing the colonies of cormorants and herons approximately every two weeks. Now that I have a general idea of what the colony looks like, I would like to end my observation here. The spawning season has passed its peak, and the birds in their nests seem to be suffering as the heat is getting harsher.

This time, I changed the observation location and chose a point where I could get closer to the birds. Even after cropping, I think the three-dimensional effect is much better. I should have changed it earlier.

The egret had already hatched chicks last time. Here are the newly born chicks. My wife says this pterosaur-like figure is weird, but I like it because it gives me a sense of charm.

Grey Heron has also grown.

A cool standing Night Heron.

There are also a few young Black-crowned Night Herons here and there that appear to be less than four years old. Only about three nests were visible, and they were not near any nests, so are they simply congregating at the colony rather than breeding?

Juvenile Great Cormorants.

A Grey Heron greedily watches its neighbor’s meal.

A Grey Heron with a punk-headed vibe.

It brought nesting materials. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the partner’s eye was shining and it looked kind of happy.

Great Egret again.

This is the first Intermediate Egret I have seen in a long time. It is the nuptial color, but for some reason, no pair or nesting birds have been seen in this colony so far. This individual just happened to be one of them, and they seem to be using a different place for breeding.

A pair of Black-crowned Night Heron and their chicks were finally identified in the last observation.

Finally, Great Egrets. I found out that it is basically getting its head eaten off. It’s not easy being a parent.