Birds Seen Along the Platte River in Nebraska in October, 2019

Great Blue Heron: several, fishing

Belted Kingfisher: several, in reedy bushes. One seen catching, beating,  and eating a fish about twice as long as its own bill

Pied-bill Grebe: 1

American Robin: many, of both sexes, and both mature and immature; in flocks, catching insects and drinking water from puddles

Eastern Bluebird: about 10, migrating in small groups of various ages

Northern Wheatear: several

Prairie Warbler: a group of about 10, consisting of a mix of mature and immature, and both sexes

Hoary Redpoll: 1

Bald Eagle: 1, flying to its nest while carrying a large, dangling snake, and then feeding it to a nestling

 Golden Eagle: 1, flying

American Crow: a few

House Sparrow: many

All the Grey Heron Chicks Are Out Of the Nest

Today the low- built Grey Heron nest at Hattori Ryokuchi Koen's Shingu Ike lake had no chicks in it -- this is the first time I've seen the nest empty of herons. There were 2 big turtles occupying the nest, and 2 nearly full-grown Grey Heron chicks perching on low-hanging tree branches very nearby.

A Blue Rockthrush Singing In My Parking Lot

I've heard a Blue Rockthrush singing in my building's parking lot at times, and at times from a perch atop nearby buildings for the past week or so.... It seemed hard to believe: a Rockthrush should be closer to a seacoast, shouldn't he? But this morning I had a good look at him: he was preening his feathers and singing atop a car in the parking lot... and was unmistakably a Blue Rockthrush.

What's he doing here in this season, I wonder....

And another oddity this year: Several days each week I still hear Grey- headed Lapwings in our rice fields even this late in the spring. Have their preferred fields been destroyed, replaced by buildings or parking lots, I wonder, so they settle for foraging in the little fields in this neighborhood...?

Two Herons and a Turtle in the Nest

There are big turtles (with shells about the size of a large dinner plate) in Shingu Ike Lake. They often sun themselves on logs or branches at the edge of the lake. Today in the Grey Heron's nest built just above the lake's surface, there was one such turtle and two of the "chicks" (now close to adult size). One of the chicks stood atop the turtle much of the time -- I think it was not a good spot for sunning by the turtle.

Immature Grey Herons Hanging Around In Their Nest

Today at noon, just before it started to rain, 2 of the Grey Herons, no longer chicks, really, now clearly "immature herons" were preening ( one heron) and sleeping ( the other heron) in their low- built nest at Singu Ike Lake in Hattori Ryokuchi Koen.

Heron Chicks Stretching Their Wings

There were 2 Grey Heron Chicks ( very big now -- close to adult size) stretching their wings, and pecking at their nest and at the lake) in the low-built nest at Shingu Ike Lake today. I wonder if they can fly, but I didn't see them try to.... Lots of wing flapping, though.

There Are Still Chicks In Three Nests In The Heronry At Hattori Ryokuchi Koen

There were still big chicks (at least half of adult-size) in the 3 Grey Heron nests I checked today surrounding Shingu Ike lake at Hattori Ryokuchi Koen.

In the nest built just above water level, 2 chicks were lazing and preening today, and one of their parents was standing on a tree branch about a meter away.

There were big chicks lazing, and parents standing guard in, 2 other Grey Heron nests higher up in trees around the lake.

The lake looks rather lonely with all its winter ducks gone north now. The herons, Little Grebes, and a few Great Cormorants and Common Kingfishers have that big lake pretty much to themselves now.