Report from 17 to 21 may 2022

When I entered that patch of flooded woodland with my canoe – a captivating experience in its own right, akin to rowing in a tropical rainforest – I flushed over twenty Night Herons. Above my head, in the dark and tangled canopy, I could see piles of sticks. Nests. Made by the Night Herons, presumably. But try as I might, I was unable to see a Night Heron on the nest: from dry land, the nests are completely invisible. Watching the Night Herons got me no further: I could barely see them, silent and motionless, and could not figure out what they were doing. If the Night Herons really have established a small nesting colony at La Cassinazza, this would be of extraordinary importance. For the time being, I’d rather be cautious and wait for additional observations to be sure: if and when the nests will have chicks, their calls and the adults bringing them food will remove all doubt.
Turning now to birds that are certainly nesting here, the Common Terns all laid eggs at the same time, and now there are a dozen nests each with a full clutch of three eggs. At the edge of the tern colony, a pair of Little Ringed Plovers s also nesting.

Finally, I was able to see several Little Bitterns, the last of our summer breeders to arrive, and a number of new butterflies and dragonflies for the year.