Hi, Janice. Thanks for the primer on green herons. I didn't know that herons also come in small sizes, having only seen the bigger varieties. It must be wonderful to witness their daily progress like you do. For the life of me I can't see the heron in the mangrove roots (even with the helpful red circle). 😁 I'm going to get my magnifying glass.
It is wonderful being so close to the mangroves. These really are a Circle of Life. Birds live in the trees. They make nests, roost and sleep in the branches.
The birds also poop, which feeds the organisms in the water. Crabs and fish thrive on the algae, and the small critters hide among the base of the mangroves. Those small fish attract larger ones.
Manatees arrive to eat the leaves. Porpoise (think Flipper the dolphin) come in too while hunting the larger fish. I am privileged to have this ecosystem right behind Seaweed. And I continue to learn!!! When writing this article I discovered that I had misidentified the green herons as a similar bird... the babies are alike, though adult coloration differs. So, I learned too.
It is summer here. Projects time!!! Thanks for your comment Pam. It I always appreciated. J.
When I added the red circle the size of the picture went from 782mb down to 330. I don't know why and can't fix it because I did an overwrite. Sorry.
There is an off white/cream colored stripe that is under the green heron's beak. His eye is above and to the left. He is facing right, near the edge of the red circle. Good luck.
Very cool article. Random thoughts - I did not know that some Herons were so small, so I learned something interesting; your book on Birds of North America is beautiful and it reminded me of how much fun it is to hold reference books in my hands and enjoy the tactile feeling they provide; the red wood trim on the trawler beside you is very attractive, never seen that before; birds sitting on your boat are cute but the amount of bird poop has to be overwhelming and a little nauseating; the Sea Biscuit Picture from the '5os (+/-) brought back many wonderful memories of days gone by. And like other boat owners, starting projects but not finishing them before going on to others is a disease that often keeps me up at night. All in all this is another terrific article. Keep writing.
Found him! 😁 "There is an off white/cream colored stripe that is under the green heron's beak. His eye is above and to the left. He is facing right, near the edge of the red circle."
I agree Sid... holding a reference book makes a world of difference. Flipping through pages is familiar, and the Golden Guide to Birds of North America is an old friend. Frankly I like almost all the Golden Guides. I confess that I have amassed a large collection of the Golden Guides. They are interesting and informative, plus concise.
As for the amount of poop, yes. You are entirely correct Sid. I quit feeding them due to the work involved in cleaning up after the birds. It becomes overwhelming, so I've left it to others to keep the birds happy. I have occasionally passed along a package of hotdogs to my friend Anisha. She's amazing!
Thank you for mentioning the postcard. The older linen cards are so interesting. I consider the postcards as miniature works of art. And I mail some off to the grands, plus friends too.
Today (9 June) much of the wiring project is complete. Thank goodness, and for a fellow named Mark! There is more to do however the boat is back almost tidy. Not quite, but closer! I do wish you well on your boat list. It can be fun, at least when progress is happening. Good luck to you Cap'n.
I am happy you were able to discern the green heron. From now on I will be careful not to degrade the pictures when messing about with them. I had to switch to a WinXP netbook as my WinV stopped charging. I suspect a new connection (hardware) will solve that. I don't do hardware... software is my thing, though I am an experienced user versus a trained professional.
I am glad you were able to spot the bird. They are hard to see and flighty (flee danger, real and perceived) so I usually watch for movement. When still they do fade into the background.
Take care and thanks for letting me know you could find it. J.