Visitors 66
Modified 24-Feb-25
Created 24-Feb-25
3 photos
Birds of all sizes visit the Frog Pond area in early 2025. Here are three.
An infrequent visitor, the Great Egret (Ardea alba) made several visits this month, hunting in the grassland as well as the pond itself. This species has recovered from being killed for its fancy feathers, fancies for women’s hats – subspecies live around the world.
Its larger cousin, the Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias) is a more frequent visitor. It favors gophers.
From the largest to the smallest: Anna’s Hummingbird(s) (Calypte anna) visits the Frog Pond and nearby again and again. From a prominent perch, the male displays his fancy colors, looking around to see if any females draw near. He darts into the air to catch insects, returning to the same perch. Males are starting to display their breeding dance: fly straight up, suddenly dive, pull out at the last minute making a loud chirp with tail feathers. This dance and the colorful plumage are hard to resist – at least by the female of the species.
An infrequent visitor, the Great Egret (Ardea alba) made several visits this month, hunting in the grassland as well as the pond itself. This species has recovered from being killed for its fancy feathers, fancies for women’s hats – subspecies live around the world.
Its larger cousin, the Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias) is a more frequent visitor. It favors gophers.
From the largest to the smallest: Anna’s Hummingbird(s) (Calypte anna) visits the Frog Pond and nearby again and again. From a prominent perch, the male displays his fancy colors, looking around to see if any females draw near. He darts into the air to catch insects, returning to the same perch. Males are starting to display their breeding dance: fly straight up, suddenly dive, pull out at the last minute making a loud chirp with tail feathers. This dance and the colorful plumage are hard to resist – at least by the female of the species.
Dan Quinn