The Great Blue Herons have nested in this massvie white oak snag for the last four years. We can see the nest from our staff lounge, and in years past we've enjoyed guessing when the eggs would hatch, watching for the day the chicks' little beaks first appear over the nest rim, and following them as they grow to four-foot tall adolescents. This year you'll be able to watch their progress from virtually inside the nest.
The herons returned to the nest in mid-March and soon began courting: bringing twigs, standing side by side in the nest, clattering their bills, and nipping at each other. To get good views of these large birds, we've installed two cameras that stream simultaneously ,one from above the nest and the other at nest level. The lower camera can record even in dark conditions and streams all night long.
Last night at around 7:30 p.m., the heron laid her first egg! Tune in to keep watching for the next eggs. Great Blue Herons typically lay eggs every two days, sometimes three, until the clutch is complete. After that it will be 25–30 days before the chicks hatch, and they will spend another 7–8 weeks in the nest before they fledge. We hope you'll join us as we watch this all unfold!
The site will be live 24 hours a day and the upper camera's video can be streamed in HD. You can also watch on mobile devices such as smartphones and iPads. A full-featured BirdCams site will launch in late April with more birds.
We've enjoyed having these herons outside our windows in years past, and we hope you enjoy them too!
With Spring just about here my mind has turned toward the garden. Something I have always wanted to do is to plant an old bike in the front garden. When my neighbors moved they left an old bike behind Yippeeee! I hit Pinterest for some inspiration.
I have always thought I would paint it all white like this one.
Our teacher asked what my favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken."
She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else laughed.
My parents told me to always tell the truth. I did. Fried chicken is my favorite animal.
I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA. He said they love animals very much. I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office. I told him what happened, and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do it again.
The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was. I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, so I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken.
She sent me back to the principal's office. He laughed, and told me not to do it again.
I don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.
Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most. I told her, "Colonel Sanders."
Posts
