[SBB] Heron and Egret Question PA Baylands

Good afternoon all...

I decided to take a quick run over to PA Baylands to collect some Black-crowned Night Heron shells to show the difference in size between Great Blue Heron shells for the Salute to Great Blue Heron day tomorrow at Vasona....so while at the baylands I was watching the Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons and one Great Egret when a Black-crowned chick caught my eye...it was making its way down the palm tree on the cut off palm fronds stumps....I knew it was not a good idea for this chick to be that far out of its nest....when all of a sudden it fell to the ground (did you hear me scream?).... I was just so upset... I went over to the Ranger's office and the Ranger on call was just a doll...he came over and made a rescue of the chick....but while I was getting the Ranger another chick fell out of the nest....by the time I got back to the palm tree I could see the Crows pecking at that bird, it had died. The Ranger was telling me that when they go to rescue a chick usually all the adult birds fly up from the nest (or the trees) and more chicks could fall to the ground. The Ranger entered the area by the palm trees and up went Snowys, the one Great Egret and some Black-crowned Night Herons....luckily no other chicks fell....The ranger was telling me how aggressive the Snowy Egrets are.... and that they will push other chicks out of the nests....

The Ranger got the BCNH chick (about three weeks old) and while he was taking him out of the net (and putting him in the container) the chick regurgitated the contents of its stomach....amazing....there was a hard bone (the size of a small rock, the Ranger thought it was some type of fish bone) and then the heron brought up what we both thought was the skin of a chicken (rather a large piece). Only thing I could think of (and please help me here) was that the adult BCNH got this from the one of the picnic areas where the bar-b-ques would be ...someone may have dropped a piece of chicken and left it and the heron picked it up. Would that be possible? I have seen pictures of rehabbers feeding cut up chick to GBHEs...not successfully... Can anyone tell me if they have seen or know of egrets or herons eating human food?

Okay, I am glad that the chick will be going to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley...There is another chick in the bush right in front of the palm trees....photogrpahers told me that it had been there for days and that the parent comes to feed it! Didn't know that herons and egrets feed young out of the nests? Any ideas on this?

Okie dokie...enjoy this beautiful weekend....

Good birding and my best regards,

Linda Sullivan

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