UT Southwestern Medical Center Rookery: June 2021

My mom was in town visiting this past week, and she suggested making a visit to the UT Southwestern Medical Center Rookery.  I'd taken her years earlier, and was always happy to photograph the birds.  So despite overcast conditions that weren't ideal for photos, off we went!

I was surprised to find that it had been three years since my last visit.  Once I had gone three times in just two months!  One thing that hadn't changed in those three years -- plenty of Great Egrets, including many fledglings.

Not everyone already had young to care for, since this fellow appeared to still be in breeding plumage.

Seeing fledglings this old still begging for food reminds of me a story I read once of how former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez had breast fed until he was four.

I mean, these three look like they're trying to actually eat their poor mother instead of whatever she's trying to regurgitate.  Possibly time to let them fend for themselves. 

I do love the fuzzy heads of the young ones.

Not all twins are creepy.  But these two kinda are.

I'd never seen more than one White Ibis at the rookery.  This time there must have been at least 50, most of them nesting in the interior.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see half a dozen Little Blue Herons, all  in the same general area.  And all also mainly obscured by foliage.

This shot frustrates me because this heron was in a fairly open spot, and I failed to account for the leaves in the foreground that add a distracting out-of-focus element to the shot.

I may need to make a return trip soon (and in better light) to capitalize on the unprecedented (to me) ibis and heron population this year!