Both juveniles and adult Black-crowned Night Herons have frequented the Salt Marsh this past summer, once again raising my question about how those ungainly but cute brown-streaked juveniles turn into elegant white and blue adults.
On the morning of September 21, 2024, a Black-crowned Night Heron was seen in company of many Mallards on “Duck Island.” The heron was neither a juvenile nor an adult but something in between. It was an immature heron, and the answer to all my questions.
I know in theory that Black-crowned Night Herons take two to three years to transition into adulthood, but the presence of this vigorous young heron at the marsh shows the maturation passage in living color. This immature heron showed some of the brown markings of the juvenile, but its streaks were noticeably fading. Its eyes were still orange but starting to take on the red glow of the adult. Most noticeable in its physical transition to adulthood was the developing darker crown and black plumage.
So, that’s how a Black-crowned Night Heron does it! It was also managing to act out a “terrible twos” phase as it occasionally snapped at the surrounding ducks. I surmise this heron will reach full adulthood after this coming winter and will start acting like a more mature adult.
Cover: Immature Black-crowned Night Heron at the Salt Marsh. September 21, 2024. 8:29 a.m.
Fall Migration Updates
The morning of Tuesday, September 24 proved to be a good morning for birdwatching, with a hint of things to come. An Osprey carried a huge fish to a tree high above the entrance to the lower Clove, and a Red-tailed Hawk swooped to a nearby high tree. Raptor season is here!
A couple of Belted Kingfishers chased each other around the marsh, and an Eastern Phoebe alighted on a goal post on the soccer fields. See the September 2024 Sightings page for more.
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