A while back, I published a post on a Great Blue Heron rookery that is near my home. At that time, the nest I was monitoring/photographing looked like it might have a single parent attending to the nest’s 2 chicks (Great Blue Heron post). A few days ago, I visited the rookery to check on the status of the nest. Upon arrivial, I found the 2 chicks, alone and attentively waiting for food to arrive at the nest:
I spent nearly 2 hours watching/photographing the chicks in the nest. In that time, no adults showed up; I was sure one would show up soon … the chicks pretty much stayed in the above position the entire time … acting like they were very hungry. But then, what growing kids aren’t! When I left, the sun was setting and I had a ways to walk to get back to my truck. So, I’m still not able to answer the question if this nest is attended by a single parent. But by looks of the youngsters, they certainly are being taken care of! Not only have they grown, but they’ve also lost their newborn down and are now displaying the juvenile coloration. I am planning on continuing to monitor this nest. Hopefully, I can still determine how many adults are taking care of the chicks.