Hi folks, a non-birding friend took me to see a particular Black-Crowned Night Heron that has become accustomed to getting handouts from a friend of hers. This heron has been hanging out behind this guy's house in Oceanside (which backs onto the water) for handouts of baby fish and actually comes when it's called! My friend said that there seemed to be something sticking out of its breast but couldn't see exactly what it was, so I brought my camera and took some pics. Indeed, "Henry" does have some kind of growth or injury sticking out of its breast seemingly just below the crop. Pardon the multtude of photos but I couldn't resist the opportunity at such close range, but I did zoom in close on the abnormality in two photos so everyone could get a good look at this thing and perhaps identify the problem. I also took some pics of the bird with my friend so you can see how tame it is (it doesn't let you get closer than what you see in the photos).
The bird seems to be in good health otherwise: it preens and flies normally. http://picasaweb.google.com/catbirder1/HenryTheBlackCrownedNightHeron# Does this bird need to be captured and treated? Is there any point to doing so? What about its habituation to handouts? I wonder if the feeding will affect the bird's willingness to migrate come autumn. I'd appreciate any thoughts and contact info for any relevant agency, if necessary. have a great day Cindy Wodinsky! -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
