Report from 28 to 30 May

The heronry is bustling with activity. The Sacred Ibis have massed their nests together on the dead bushes – which dried up due
to the massive numbers of the ibis themselves – leaving the green saplings to others: Cattle Egrets, Night Herons, Little Egrets
and Pygmy Cormorants, all of which are either incubating eggs or still building nests.
Things seem to be going well in the Common Tern colony, in spite of a recent series of thunderstorms. There are 13 active nests
so far, and it seems at least two more will soon be added. Five nests have hatched their eggs, and almost all of them host two
chicks. Common Terns lay three eggs, but they are rarely able to fledge all three: the youngest – or the unluckiest – of the chicks
quickly dies. As it is, the third egg is basically an insurance policy. While it may appear cynical or cruel, this is indeed the best
strategy. We cannot apply human morals to the natural world.
We cannot apply human standards of beauty either, although we must admit that herons rarely excel in this regard, with one
notable exception, at least in my judgement: the Squacco Heron, undoubtedly one of the most graceful of our summer birds.