Report from 21 to 27 May 2023

I tried to figure out what happened in the Common Tern colony. So far, small wire mesh cages placed above the eggs had prevented predation. This year, these same cages did not work at all. I am now convinced the culprits were Hooded Crows. Not just any crows, but the pair that has been nesting for the last few years in the woodlot across from the colony. Over time, they must have lost their fear of the unknown object and figured out how to get at the eggs. Even the decoy clutches I had made with chicken eggs were predated: all of them, except the one next to the remote camera that would have caught the thieves! Evidently, I had greatly underestimated them. I will now build a new and different version of the cages. The problem will be to prevent access on the part of the wily crows while allowing the much dumber terns to get in. The pair of Shovelers that was lingering at La Cassinazza is gone, and with it are the hopes that it would nest here. The Black Woodpecker is still around, but now that it has gone silent it is almost impossible to find. Perhaps it has resigned itself to bachelorhood. Two Spoonbills flew side by side in perfect synchrony. One had a branch in its bill, a telltale sign that they are building a nest somewhere. In the meantime, the Coot’s eggs have hatched, and the tiny black chicks with their extravagant red heads are out and about. Finally, three Black Terns put in a brief appearance. This species is nearly annual, especially in early summer.
I am continuing the series of herons perched on the same log:this time, a Little Egret with its wispy plumes.