Nest of Luck!

This is a short chronicle of some memorable moments I spent studying the nesting of a Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). There are some very obvious gaps in the sequential progression of events leading from the construction of a nest to the growing up of the juvenile which I am painfully aware of. This shoot was indeed intended as a trial run to check my perseverance before going the whole hog. So hope you enjoy this trailer!

Scene 1:

I dither not though it takes all day long,
the choicest twigs to pick thin but strong.

Scene 2:

Twig by twig layer upon layer, and so I will build my own castle,
all for my babies yet to arrive, worthy it will be the whole hassle.

Scene 3:

A few days of hatching left, I can feel the movement within,
a shake here a rattle there, cracking of shells to soon begin.

Scene 4:

To feed my growing chicks is quite some ask,
catching so much fish is a pretty tough task.

Scene 5:

Ain’t I smart to toss titbits and lure the fish to rise,
here’s one more, grab, gulp, that was quite a size.

Scene 6:

Headed back with a decent catch, my chicks need to be fed,
regurgitate it for them to eat, and tuck them snug to bed.

Scene 7:

Tired flying out evening and night, foraging and feeding the lot,
A quick shut eye is what I plan, the babes though bring it to nought.

Scene 8:

So quickly they’ve grown big and strong, no longer they heed or rest,
eager to move out and test the winds, I’ll soon put their skills to test.

Scene 9:

And here is one stepping out on foot, keen to explore the wood,
a few weeks more the wings will bear, and fly out he will for good.

– Narendra Nayak © 2019