This magnificent heron with its dazzling white plummage is an uncommon bird in Newfoundland but well known in the southern United States. This bird arrived three weeks ago and has found a ready source of stickle-backs in a freshwater marsh near the Confederation Building in St. Johns. This beautiful bird nearly became extinct in the early 1900's when it was hunted mercilessly for its long plumes during nesting season. After hunting became illegal, the birds gradually increased in numbers and are now very common in warmer southern climates.
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That's a beautiful photo of him, John. I love how his feathers are silhouetted against the water. I wonder if he will ever get back to others of his kind, or if he will just live the rest of his life in Newfoundland.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of it, I still haven't seen it. I did see the one at Munday Pond in November though. I read on the Newfoundland bird newsgroup that this is not the same bird, that the one at Munday Pond left sometime during the winter.
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