Re: [SBB] Snowy Egret Activity at Palo Alto Baylands

[[[email protected]]]

All:
For several years I monitored hundreds of Bleck-crowned Night Heron
(BCNH), Great Egret (GREG) and Snowy Egret (SNEG) nests in the
Eucalyptus trees around the sewage plant at the east end of Redwood
Shores Parkway.  I found that there is a pattern to estabishing
nests.  The GREG and the BCNH start early.  By late April they are
all well established, and a few will have half-grown chicks.  The
Snowy Egrets, being smaller and taking less time to grow to fledging
age, start later on average.  I typically mapped the colony about
this time of year - late April or early May, when the peak of SNEG
nesting occurred.  The peak in active nests is usually late May, when
the Snowys are fully established but few SNEG and BCNH have yet
fledged.  Don't worry about the SNEG finding places to build nests. 
They typically build farther out on the limbs than their larger
neighbors, even when larger limbs are available.  And they readily
use Eucalyptus.  Based on my experience, and on the lousy weather in
March and early April, I think the Snowys are right on time.  

Charles Coston

 


---- Original Message ----
From: [[email protected]]
To: [[email protected]]
Subject: RE: [SBB] Snowy Egret  Activity at Palo Alto Baylands
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 09:50:06 -0700

>We've been wondering for nearly two monts what had happened to
>the SNOWY EGRETS at the Palo Alto Baylands. The numbers nesting
>at the heronry behind the duck pond have been far below the levels
>we saw last year.
>
>Well, it looks like show time finally is at hand.
>
>During the last few days, many more Snowy Egrets in breeding plumage
>have arrived in the area behind the duck pond and around the ranger
>station.
>
>All of the prime nest sites in the palms behind the duck pond had
>previously been claimed by BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERONS,
>Great Egrets and the small number of Snowy Egrets tht arrived during
>the last month. The newly arrived egrets have had to spread out.
>Many of them are trying to move into the trees around the ranger
>station and are now doing their courtship displays from the tops
>of those trees. (This makes for better photos then the same displays
>amid the palm fronds.) But the trees around the ranger station had
>also been colonized by night herons, so noisy territotial disputes
>are erupting.
>
>Obviously, we don't know if more snowy egrets will continue to
>arrive, but it looks at the moment live a new invasion is under way.
>
>
>-- Ron Wolf
>
>
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