Baby night herons at Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary

Profile of adult black crowned night heron. Those red eyes really stick out.

Night heron hanging on the roof of the sanctuary.

Baby night heron high up in the tree.

Adult night heron.

Baby screaming for mom.

Most people go to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary to see the normal stuff; injured pelicans, egrets and a few raptors. But what surprises a lot of people when they get there is the baby birds high up in the trees. Colonies of night herons descend on the sanctuary during this time and build nests in the shade trees over the sanctuary. They have babies there and it can get really loud with all of those baby night herons screaming for food. I guess the wild night herons think it's a safe place to raise a family. The trees are full of them right now. It's interesting how different the babies look from the parents. They start out brown spotted and end up that pretty shade of cream and gray. Just be careful where you stand at the sanctuary. Those shade trees are full of birds and that poop has to go somewhere. Take it from someone who knows, bird poop is not good for the camera. I spent a few minutes in the bathroom cleaning my lens. I hope I got it all off.