Tiny Wetland on Beaver Creek Road, Waterloo

Beaver Creek Road

(A Gallery of Herons)

Waterloo, ON

7 September 2014

     Once again this year the tiny wetland on Beaver Creek Road is delivering more variety than one might reasonably expect for an area so small, completely surrounded by houses on three sides, and the road on the fourth.

     Three species of heron were present, and I suspect four. Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias, the commonest of all was absent from view, but with so much tall vegetation to hide behind, it may well have simply not been visible.

     As I have mentioned before this is not the easiest place for photography but the following shots will at least record the activity observed there yesterday.

     I observed three Black-crowned Night Herons Nycticorax nycticorax, two adults and one juvenile. None were in a great position for picture-taking, the adults with sunlight streaming down on them, giving a bit of a washed out look to their plumage, and the juvenile skulking in the dark overhang of a bush.

     I saw but one Green Heron Butorides virescens but it very obligingly flew up from its concealment in the rushes to a perch where I could shoot off a few frames.

   

     In years past as soon as post-breeding dispersal of Great Egrets Ardea alba starts to occur, up to four have been regular visitors to this wetland. The bird shown below is the first to take up occupancy this year.

     The marsh also provided a stark reminder that fall is just around the corner.