Nest update April 2021

I walked down the Indigo Trail at Ding with my friend from the mid-west this week. It was a magical morning at the boardwalk where we were treated to lots of birds, nests, eggs, and more.

We got to watch this parent turn the eggs in the nest. The eggs have to be turned periodically. The interval depends on the species of bird. I’m not sure how often yellow-crowned night herons turn their eggs, but it was great to catch it happening.

That look when your mate isn’t buying what you are selling!

That look Mom gives you when you thought that she couldn’t hear what you said! Yikes!

Ummm, sorry, Mom!

Where’s my Superman cape?!!!

Yoohoo!! Have you seen my cape?

Ugh! My cape is in the wash . . .

The changing colors of the sea grape leaves

So, this was a new one for me. This looked like a very large, brightly colored ant. One of the names it is called is “velvet ant”. It is also called the Cow Killer for the venomous punch it packs when it stings. However, it is actually not an ant, but is a parasitic wasp. The winged male does not sting. The female wanders while searching for tunnels of ground-nesting wasps. She sneaks into the tunnel and lays eggs on the host larva that her young will consume after hatching.

The following photos of the pink moon are ones that I took earlier this week. The pink moon is named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox. The plant is native to the eastern United States and is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring. It was also one of two super moons for 2021.

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