Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Tantallon, NS

Each year, in late summer we get a number of immature Herons and Egrets coming to our shores. After they leave their nests, Yellow-crowned Night Herons in particular disperse to various places in search of new habitat. Southwest winds often pick these birds up from their breeding territory in the Northeast United States and drop them on our Atlantic Coast.

This bird turned up last week in Glen Margaret last Saturday but I wasn’t able to find it until another birder reported it on August 9th. I was able to see it from a distance last night from Shining Waters Marina. I went back for another look this morning and the bird was in the same place. I spoke to the fine folks at the Marina this morning and they offered up a tender to get a closer look. I rowed across the bay and got some photos from a distance and watched the heron catch some crabs, their favorite food. Shortly after rowing back to the Marina, the skies opened up and I was lucky to stay mostly dry!

Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Tantallon, Nova Scotia - August 11, 2023.