A Trip to Honolulu Harbor
On my way to shoot a sunset, I came across a bird out for a stroll. A local fisherman informed me that I was in the presence of a Black-crowned Night Heron.
Adults are striking in their gray-and-black evening suit and long, white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world.
Youngsters (one of which I spotted in a tree) are brown and white in color except during the “golden hour,” when they seem to glow..
These birds do most of their feeding at night and spend much of the day perched among leaves and branches (or car roof racks) at the water’s edge scanning for prey. Maybe that’s why they have this hunchbacked look.
Some fun Black-crowned Night Heron facts:
Scientists find it revealing, albeit a bit messy, to study their diet — the nestlings often disgorge the contents of their stomach when approached.
Young Black-crowned Night Herons leave the nest at the age of one month but cannot fly until they are six weeks old. They move on foot, joining up in foraging flocks at night.
The herons weren’t the only ones out foraging for food this evening. A boy and his grandfather were hoping to catch some fish for dinner.
P.S. My camera of choice for this chance encounter was a Canon 7D with a 24-70 mm zoom lens.