This Week at Liberty

Aside from my regular habit of birding in my yard, I take great pleasure in the early morning exploration of the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona. If you haven’t had the opportunity to explore this wonderful area with a dual purpose, you must rectify that. The Preserve is a water reclamation and wetland/wildlife sanctuary on 110 acres. It has all the amenities we look for in the desert…. shade, water, comfortable walking paths, great signage, and a terrific opportunity to see over 300 species of birds…depending on the season. White pelicans are the big guys, along with the occasional swan, rosette spoonbill, and bald eagle. But they give way to the tiniest of hummingbirds, warblers, and others that move through during migration, breeding season, or just making it a year-round home. The variety is one of the splendors of this location.

Rare Siting: The Least Bittern

Last year I spent time looking for the least bittern that had been reported there and actually seen by others… but to no avail. I never spotted one. And these smallest herons are very cryptically blended into their habitat, amongst the reeds, and managed to secret themselves from my binoculars. But then….

This Sunday I was with friends for a perfect morning of birding…overcast skies and ideal temperature. And as we walked the path, we came across a “camera crowd,” indicative of a “sighting.” Often such a group is both a sign of a good sighting, but also of somewhat of a distraction. This time the crowd was quiet, allowing distance and being respectful. The star attractions were three fledgling least bittern kids. I am pretty sure mom and dad were close by but tolerated the exploration by the kids. While the parents are generally secretive, the littles were doing what littles do, and that is exploring their neighborhood and providing a bonanza of a viewing opportunity.

Cartoonish Hunters

The soft oohs and aahs from the human spectators were endearing as the young herons “boinged-on” and straddled the reeds on their spindly legs, gripping with skinny toes. These little herons’ behavior of life in the reeds allows them to hunt in deeper waters than their wading cousins. They, as do other herons, hunt by standing still, watching intently, and quickly darting unsuspecting prey as it swims by. There is something a bit comical about watching this behavior, but don’t be deceived by the awkward looking technique…it is not comical to the fish that came to dinner.

Other Species, Different Outcomes

Wetlands, lakes, and other water features are a huge attractant to herons and the plethora of other water, wading, and swimming birds. A recent visitor to our hospital was a cormorant who unfortunately encountered abandoned fishing line that wrapped around its tongue, and it ended up hanging by the tongue from a tree branch until a compassionate group of people helped orchestrate its capture and trip to the hospital. This outcome was good, but there still needs to be a constant oversight of abandoned fishing line. A not-so-happy occurrence was the unnecessary and mean-spirited attack on a heron rookery where birds were just trying to raise their babies.

Selfish and unthinking people decided it was okay to tear the nests down, leaving the vulnerable babies on the ground to die while the parents flew helplessly overhead. There is no explaining this cruel action. Perhaps if those criminally-inclined people had seen the juvenile herons at the Water Park, they might have given some thought to the results of their actions. Liberty Wildlife will now successfully raise and release those babies, at great expense, but the black crowned night heron parents will never know. They were hard wired to do the job that we will end up doing…and that just doesn’t seem fair or right, but….

I can only hope for increased awareness and compassion. If you’ve read this far, then we have at least achieved some of the former.