As many folks who've been to the CF of late have noticed, there's a young Black-crowned Night Heron hanging around the Warden's Watch peninsula, often with two adult BCNHs nearby.

The question is, Was the young BCNH hatched here? Your thoughts most welcome.

Responding to my earlier post about the young heron, Barbara Dilger writes:

I just read your blog on your young BCNH, nice picture of your young bird. White's Pond in Waldwick used to have the BCNHs and the YCNHs every year, until they killed off the crayfish with some treatments to the water.

One day, I had all four herons there, The GB, Green, Black and Yellow - before the water treatment and the building of new homes near the waterfall.

I found the quickest way to tell them apart as young birds was the feathers on the lower sides. The YCNH has white vertical lines that edge the feathers like an outline and the BCNH has more of white
blotches.

Two pictures of the Waldwick young herons of the Yellow and Black variety.

The YCNHs  have not returned the last two years, but the BCNHs has come back every year. It is sad, as the YCNHs nested in Boro Park for many years, they are missed.

(Thanks, Barbara! Her Waldwick night heron photos are below.)