BIRDS: Black Crowned Night Heron

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I've not been able to find a good reason to have a TV on board  because nature provides an entertaining mix of things to see. Sometimes it's the weather and sometimes it's the creatures that come into view. Like when I spotted this Black Crowned Night Heron keeping watch near the docks:

The bird is only usually seen at dusk or at night hence the name Night Heron. I'm amused when I see them because they seem to have the demeanor of a night watchman. A few nights ago I took BIANKA to the dock to refill the water tanks.  A Black Crowned Night Heron flew onto the dock and then proceeded to waddle around the dock like he owned it. Then jumping on the pontoon of an inflatable dingy to get in better position to ambush his prey in the marina waters. Even at night there are things to see on board a boat that you will miss if you go below and pop in a DVD to watch TV. I have never become bored enough to do that.
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BOATERS BEWARE OF THIEVES IN THE NIGHT

If you ever have found things mysteriously missing from your boats cockpit the explanation may be fairly simple. I recently ordered a GoPro video camera . While I was researching about the camera online  I came upon this video of a brazen theft by a Seagull:

The GoPro camera weighs about 6 oz with the housing. After seeing this video I won't be leaving it or anything else like keys laying around in the cockpit especially overnight. One thing is for sure though Seagulls are not real good when it comes to making videos, they can steal things pretty quickly.

ADDING TO THE BUCKET LIST

Remember that 5 gallon bucket I found on the beach a few days ago? It did not take long for me to find another use for it. After I took BIANKA back to the mooring and tied up in the afternoon I needed to do some errands on shore. I left the sail cover off because I would be pulling the sail off since it is the end of the season.   I was not gone more than an hour and half. But, as I rowed back to the boat I notice not one but two Cormorants perched on the boom. Now I'll have to clean and dry the sail before I stored it for the winter. I should have know better. But, even while I was on board another Cormorant tried to land on the boom but, I chased it off. I had to do something temporarily to try and keep the Cormorants off the boom until the morning. Then I remembered the bucket I found on the beach. I attached a halyard to the handle and attached another line loosely and that led aft to a cleat. I hoisted the bucket until it was just slightly higher than the boom and let it swing there in a lazy arc with the wind and rocking of the boat like this:

The plan was to have it swing over the boom and discourage any further landings on the boom and/or clear off any birds that did manage to land. It worked until I got BIANKA to the dock to clean the sail the next morning. See I told you these buckets come in useful on board.

YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM BIRDS

You can learn a lot from birds

You can learn a lot from birds

But, the meaning is not obvious
- Frank Tedesso

I was silently motoring BIANKA up Mattituck Inlet the other day here on the Isle of Long. Looking and listening to the sounds as I made the journey. Since I converted to electric propulsion I am really enjoying such trips. You can actually hear the things going on around you instead of being masked by the noise and vibration of a diesel engine. The laughter of children at a house on the shore or squawk of a Great Blue Heron as it questions a Night Heron that he thinks might be in his territory. About three quarters of the way up to the anchorage. I heard the calling of an Osprey. It's good to see the Osprey still around. It means it's still summer. If you want to find a real snow bird the Osprey might fit that bill. They don't stay around much after September in these parts but, head south much like the Osprey in the photo above which I took on a small motu in Belize.  As I passed the tree to the boats port where I heard the call I could see there was not one but, two Osprey and they seemed to be alternating  in making the calls. Strange I thought Osprey usually mate for life and each of these birds were no more than ten feet from each other. Why are they alternating making the calls when they can obviously see each other? As I motored onward a  little ways the answer became obvious. Off to starboard  was an Osprey nest with three young adult Osprey posed and waiting. They were full feathered and seemed anxious and hesitant at the same time. It then dawned on me that the parents were the birds I heard calling from the tree. They were trying to coax the young birds to fly and leave the nest. It was time for them to fly in preparation to leave the nest for good and start heading south.  The next morning I was having my coffee. I saw an Osprey on the shore nearby. Strange I thought. I have never seen an Osprey walking along on the shore before. I've seen them in trees, on the nest or flying. Then the bird waded into the water until it's legs were underwater. Then I realized it was one of the  young Osprey literally getting it's feet wet for the first time. It seemed to be exploring the feeling and then one of the adult Osprey did several fly bys and the Osprey in the water flew off to follow. When I was leaving later that day I passed the same Osprey nest and there was only one young Osprey left there waiting to fly.
Yes, you can learn a lot from birds