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Heron ID - Arlington, Texas (1 Viewer)

tramsey8

tramsey8

I know just enough about birds to sound stupid mos
I somehow spotted this tiny little thing thru some really dense foliage today... I think it's a very young Little Blue Heron. What do y'all say?

Thanks!
 

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Definitely agree on Little Blue Heron - though not a very young one - a molting SY (second year; i.e. born spring 2007) bird. Note the patchy blue/gray coming in in spots on the wings/mantle. Strange positioning for the bird to be in.
 
AlexC said:
Definitely agree on Little Blue Heron - though not a very young one - a molting SY (second year; i.e. born spring 2007) bird. Note the patchy blue/gray coming in in spots on the wings/mantle. Strange positioning for the bird to be in.
Click to expand...

Thanks Alex!

I see Little Blues every day in my home patch & this one just appeared very small for the species... but focusing thru the dense cover may have messed with my depth perception. It's stance seemed rather "weak" & that pushed me further towards my youngster theory.
At least I got the species right :king:
 
tramsey,

Just curious. What is your avatar a photo of? I cannot figure it out to my satisfaction. An insect or flower?

Best,
Jim
 
BobTag said:
Isn't it a male American Kestrel with open wings seen from behind?
Click to expand...

That is what I thought when I first saw it. But it looks so delicately featured and brightly colored (the tail looks bright orange!) -- almost unreal -- in the photo. The Kestrels I see never look quite that colorful. Maybe it is just seeing it so small, and capturing it with the sunlight hitting it just right.

Jim
 
Last edited:
Thanks for asking... the color looks a little off because it's a (digital) "watercolor".
That was my very first Kestrel & the bird really hammed it up for the camera for about 10 minutes. I was so excited I couldn't wait to get home & dump the pics. But it was a dark rainy day & the photos didn't turn out well enough to print. The pose was too good to waste so I just kept messing with it until I got something I could look at without crying or throwing my camera :-C
 

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Definitely agree on Little Blue Heron - though not a very young one - a molting SY (second year; i.e. born spring 2007) bird. Note the patchy blue/gray coming in in spots on the wings/mantle. Strange positioning for the bird to be in.
Click to expand...

Looks like the stance of a bird not feeling well. But, it might be the timing of the photo.
 
ayasuda said:
Looks like the stance of a bird not feeling well. But, it might be the timing of the photo.
Click to expand...
That is a very odd stance and the bird doesn't look the greatest but I hope it is fine. I, of course, agree with the ID.

I have been seeing a second year Little Blue Heron with its mixed blue/white plumage for a while now in a water retention area outside the parking garage where I work. I should start bringing my camera to get a shot of it. I used to see an adult LBH there frequently but not lately.
 
Just realized you all were talking about the heron pic - I thought we were talking about the kestrel! No wonder I was confused! 8-P
 
AlexC said:
Just realized you all were talking about the heron pic - I thought we were talking about the kestrel! No wonder I was confused! 8-P
Click to expand...

LOL I was getting a little confused myself.

For the record:
The Heron never broke that odd "weak" stance for the 5-6 minutes I observed. It was around noon on a very hot, humid, "dead calm" day.

Yes Alex, the Kestrel pic WAS a very blustery day :t:
 
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