Growing Up

This is a Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, changing from fledgling white to adult blue. Here's an earlier picture of an adult http://davesgarden.com/fp.php?pid=17687

What beautiful birds - and excellent photos!!

Thanks! I never tire of watching the birds. We're lucky we have a lot of water around here and get to see so many of them.

I see tons of them here in Washington..just never noticed the youngsters. Fantastic pic!!! I just love watching them too!!

Is this a Little Blue Heron (meaning baby) or smaller version of the Great Blue? We have the great Blue here.

Winter is always a water- birders paridise in the area I live.

This message was edited Thursday, Jun 19th 12:03 AM

I've never seen a fledgling or immature heron. Thanks for posting this! We have great blue herons here in Ohio, and bitterns. Both are cool water birds. I wish we had egrets!

WW1 this is a young Little Blue Heron, a totally different bird than the Great Blue, Ardea herodias. You'll find the Great Blues all the way up through Canada, they are the most widespread of the NA herons. Here's a picture of an adult Great Blue in breeding plumage. The black on his head and wings as well as the long breast feathers indicate breeding status. The black is fairly insignificant at other times of the year. This picture was taken along Clearwater Bay with the sun setting behind the mangroves. (Clearwater, FL.)
Thanks Hilary!
GW, We rarely see the babies at this stage or maybe we don't recognise them as juveniles. This little guy(?) was born near where the picture was taken and is used to seeing people fairly near. My sister spends a lot of her free time watching them.

I was just reading in my Bird book about herons. I was thinking to myself...how could I have not noticed a fledgling...especially because of the beautiful marking I saw in this photo.

Well, now I know...it's not a Great Blue..It's a Little Blue. Too cool...I never knew there was a Little Blue. The book said the boldly white and blue patched plumage is UNLIKE any other Heron.

Thank you so much for sharing the pic...what a great thing to see and capture on film. WaWild1

OH THOSE ARE JUST BEAUTIFUL! EVERYDAY I AM IN AWE OF ALL THE BEAUTY THAT GOD HAS PUT IN THIS WORLD AND I AM THANKFUL FOR THE LITTLE THINGS THAT WE FORGET ABOUT BEING THANKFUL FOR THANKS FOR SHARING THIS WITH US

Hee Hee..Floridian..I was posting at the same time you were explaining it to me...I liked your explaination MUCH more then the Peterson's guide gave. I've watched the Great Blue here for quite a while. Now I'll have to get those binoculars out and start looking for the breeding plumage.

I love watching birds...don't know a lot about them though...I keep a pair of binoculars and a Peterson's guide in each car and at the front door (lake across the street) for viewing and learning as I go. I'm just so facinated with wildlife!

Thank you so much!