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common_nature2017-08-20 12:19 am
left_turns) wrote in common_nature2017-08-20 12:19 am
Lincoln Park Black-Crowned Night Herons
I went up to Chicago a couple months ago and keep forgetting to post this. I spent a day at the zoo and conservatory in Lincoln Park near the lake shore. I nearly didn't bother with the children's zoo, but I ended up over there looking for something else. The trails through it are set up like a woodland trail--sort of narrow and winding through a lot of birch plantings, and covered in bird poo. Near one stand of trees, the zoo had posted a few signs saying basically "yes, we know the paths are messy and please also don't bother the herons above you; those aren't ours."
Apparently black-crowned night herons are on the Illinois state endangered list, but there's been a flock of them nesting in the zoo and somewhere else further south in the park for the last few summers.
These were sort of hard to get; they were twenty or thirty feet up and either it was pretty breezy above the ground or the birds were bouncing around a lot.
This was a different tree across the path. I'd say it had at least four nests in it, maybe as many as seven or eight. The trees were so dense that I couldn't tell quite how many had herons in them; I probably saw nearly a good dozen adult birds.
And also the view from the zoo's south gate across one of the park gardens and down the river. Oh, Chicago, you magnificent beast.
Apparently black-crowned night herons are on the Illinois state endangered list, but there's been a flock of them nesting in the zoo and somewhere else further south in the park for the last few summers.
These were sort of hard to get; they were twenty or thirty feet up and either it was pretty breezy above the ground or the birds were bouncing around a lot.
This was a different tree across the path. I'd say it had at least four nests in it, maybe as many as seven or eight. The trees were so dense that I couldn't tell quite how many had herons in them; I probably saw nearly a good dozen adult birds.
And also the view from the zoo's south gate across one of the park gardens and down the river. Oh, Chicago, you magnificent beast.
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I love that first picture. I'm not much of a bird person, but he's really pretty.
How funny that they just came to crash at the zoo. Kinda like that friend that comes over for a weekend and then you can't get rid of them. LOL!
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