Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron stalking preyJuvenile Black-crowned Night Heron stalking prey – Nikon D810, f8, 1/800, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Last August I was able to spend time observing and photographing this juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron stalking prey at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. There were about a half dozen Snowy Egrets in the same area and this juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron would become aggressive when they came close to it. This image shows the juvenile standing on a rock and peering into the Bear River. The Snowy Egrets had moved further away and the heron seemed entirely focused on quietly stalking its prey.

Black-crowned Night Herons do breed at the refuge but unlike the breeding Black-crowned Night Herons that I saw nesting in trees in Florida the ones at the refuge will nest on small islands in the marsh because there are very few trees on the entire refuge and most of those are invasive Tamarisks which could not support a nesting colony. It is highly likely that this young night heron hatched some where in the marsh on the refuge. Wherever it hatched I am glad to have seen and photographed the young night heron.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Black-crowned Night Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.