Feeding the young

A quiet morning, and then when S went to her weekly Yoga lesson, I drove to Western Springs Lake and with the aid of a crutch walked on the path around the lake seeking birds to photograph. They were not hard to find.

I knew that there was a karuhiruhi nest in a particular tree, and was taking photos of the large juveniles in that nest when I saw a large karuhiruhi (Pied Shag) fly past low over the lake. I thought I saw something in its beak, so watched it land a goodly distance away in the water. And got some photos while it "processed" its catch. Then it took off and flew in a large looping circle to a tall tree on the other side of the lake. 

Which is when I got this photo of it landing by the nest. I have adjusted the exposure slightly, and cropped it markedly. I am pleased with the clarity of the photo, despite the degree of cropping.

According to my bird book, the name karuhiruhi is derived from 'Ka' meaning a dwelling or home, and 'ruhi' meaning messy. The second ruhi adds emphasis, so that the name means "a very messy home". Looking at its nest, I can but agree it is appropriately named.

I have added two further photos of this bird in the extras. The first is as it took off from the wee bay in the lake where it had removed the head from the fish, and done whatever other processing which needed doing. The second I took as it flew past me over the lake back to the nest.

It was a great day for birding, and I enjoyed my one crutch walk in the open air.