No egrets this morning!
Last Friday around dusk, we saw four individuals in the periwinkle-covered slope by the parking lot across from building Y.
We actually managed to photograph them. Turns out I was mistaken about just three remaining. There is another one who occasionally joins the tighter group of three. All were shuffling about and tilting their heads horizontally from time to time, as though waiting for a travel party to come along. Finally, they flew over the basketball court and away. For all we know, that was goodbye for this year.
I have noticed throughout the season that the largest drops in bird numbers come with the occasional rains. Perhaps cool and wet weather is ideal for travel if one is a bird. In any case, we’ll patrol the rookery perimeter again around dusk today and would be grateful if any of you would to the same for the next two days or so. If we sight no more egrets, a celebration is in order.