Three Grey Heron Chicks "Home Alone"

When I stopped by to check on the Grey Heron nest located just above the waterline at Shingu Ike Lake in Hattori Ryokuchi Koen at noon today, the 3 heron chicks were alone (no parent with them) in their nest. During the 20 minutes I was there, 2 of the chicks spent most of their time standing, looking around, preening, and stretching their legs & wings. The third chick, which was only about half as tall as the other 2, spent most of the time dozing, but got up and stretched and preened briefly a few times. Today is the first time I've seen the chicks "home alone" without a parent in the nest.