Tenderness
For ten days I waited and watched. No one really knew for sure when the eggs were laid, but the standard response was “any day now” whenever the question about hatching was uttered. I was not alone in the vigil. The nesting pair of black-necked stilts had halted planned work on draining the pond where they were nesting and had become quite the celebrities. The work would not progress until after the chicks had fledged.
The Ani Pond has always been one of my favorite spots in Ding Darling NWR’s Bailey Tract. Many of the images I have posted from Sanibel have been from this pond. The plan was to drain the pond and return it to native marsh to better support threatened native species like the Sanibel rice rat. Through multiple meetings and many comments expressed by concerned locals and visitors alike, a compromise was reached and a portion of the Ani Pond will remain. So glad to hear this!
The cute little chick in the photo is a day old. There were four eggs in the nest of which three hatched. The other two chicks were down at the water’s edge where they were already foraging for bugs in the mud. Such a tender moment with mom!
Thanks so much for your views, faves and comments!
© 2018 Craig Goettsch - All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use without permission is prohibited.
Tenderness
For ten days I waited and watched. No one really knew for sure when the eggs were laid, but the standard response was “any day now” whenever the question about hatching was uttered. I was not alone in the vigil. The nesting pair of black-necked stilts had halted planned work on draining the pond where they were nesting and had become quite the celebrities. The work would not progress until after the chicks had fledged.
The Ani Pond has always been one of my favorite spots in Ding Darling NWR’s Bailey Tract. Many of the images I have posted from Sanibel have been from this pond. The plan was to drain the pond and return it to native marsh to better support threatened native species like the Sanibel rice rat. Through multiple meetings and many comments expressed by concerned locals and visitors alike, a compromise was reached and a portion of the Ani Pond will remain. So glad to hear this!
The cute little chick in the photo is a day old. There were four eggs in the nest of which three hatched. The other two chicks were down at the water’s edge where they were already foraging for bugs in the mud. Such a tender moment with mom!
Thanks so much for your views, faves and comments!
© 2018 Craig Goettsch - All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use without permission is prohibited.