The San Francisco call., 1906-11-04
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most available to get q good series
of pictures showing the growth OF the
young. Most all the night heron nests
contained four eggs. Each egg seemed
10 hatch in regular order about two
days apart When we photographed
the same nest later we found IL held
three frowsy-headed youngsters and
one egg. On our third trip the growth,
both in size and ugliness, was quite
apparent. But on our next trip We
found the nest deserted
The next time 1 sat IN the treetop
the place sounded more like a big duck
ranch. Above all the squawks Of the
parents there was a steady, quacking
clatter of the hundreds OF young herons
that never ceased. The sound grew
more intense In spots as here and there
q mother swept in from the feeding
ground and fed her children As
sat watching an old blue heron sailed
in and lit on a branch above her nest
In the adjoining tree. The three
youngsters twisted IN ecstatic contor-
tions as the mother stepped awkwardly
along the limb. Each reached up In
full height to grasp her long bill She
sat on the nest, calmly looking about
The young continued to catch her
beak and pull 1t part way down, en-
deavoring to make her feed them
When she got ready she disgorged a
the throat of each nesting and left
as leisureIy as she came In another
case where the young were older saw
the mother bird disgorge into the nest
The mass OF undigested f1sh In her
craw seemed TO form into small por-
tions and come up as the cud or COW
does. and each youngster pitched into
the meal with a vigor and energy that
would have amazed q litter OF young
pigs
when you climb anywhere near a
nest after the young birds have had
good meal they will begin to 'unswal-
low" as fast as they have gobbled II
down On account Of this habit, espe-
cially common among night herons. We
found 1t always safe to keep out OF the
way as much as possible. or az least
not to approach a nest full OF young
birds from below.
In order to study the life Of the her
ons and get some pictures early In the
morning before the wind sprung up so
strong that we could hardly hold our
selves ins the treetop, which IL mad a
habit of doing at that season OF the
wear. we camped at the heronry all one
night At the south end OF the heron
Jungle is a hay field. where we took
,,p our quarters. We had no trouble IN
Keeping awake most of the night to
study heron habits. The blue herons,
as we'll as the rsquawks" or night
herons. seemed to keep busy most OF
the night. AS some one has said. IT
sounded like several hundred Indians
irving to throttle each other. Then the
MOSQUITOES and frogs were more active
after dark. We crawled into hay
cock and covered ourselves up. as much
to get rid of the pestiferous, blood
thirsty insects as TO keep warm At
daylight we felt as much comfort in
crawling out to get rid OF burrs and
stickers as we had the night before in
crawling in to get away from the mos
quitoes.
A young night heron is well adapted
to climbing from limb to limb by rea-
son of his long. angling toes and the
ability to hook his neck or bill over a
limb and draw himself up as a parrot
does. Not 50 with the young blue
herons:. they are as awkward about the
limbs OF the trees as their parents are