Wait until you check out our new bird blind at the pond!
In the fall, the Dewees Island Conservancy completed the new Bird Blind at Huyler House pond. It’s a wonderful spot to watch wildlife, with a great view of the entire pond. Hopefully it will give residents and guests a way to watch the herons and egrets in the rookery raise their young without disturbing them by walking too close to the natural areas.
From the blind, you’ll have a fantastic view of the platform in the middle of the pond. This flock of spoonbills and egrets was enjoying the center of the raft recently. In fact, when the Conservancy was raising money to fund the blind, we had a spoonbill-themed party to kick off the project.
An Idea comes to life
In the last few years, as the grapevines, honeysuckle, smilax and creeper vines have filled in around the pond, a rookery has grown. From a few green heron nests, to a handful of different egret and medium heron nests, to a veritable crowd of birds raising young, the population has steadily increased. Many of these nests are near the road, and there are several places along the bank where alligators rest, making it difficult to observe the pond without disturbing the birds. So the thought of a sheltered blind was floated through the Environmental Program Board and the ARB, using preliminary sketches. The work began in early November.
The blind has room for a crowd: in the fall a group of Berry College students spent some time honing their birdwatching skills!
Sheltered views
One of the best features of this blind is the fact that there’s a roof overhead. I really enjoyed a chance to be in there during the recent wintry weather to watch the ducks in the snow. I was completely surprised to see a pair of wood ducks wandering about!
I am excited to be able to watch the birds in the rookery from this blind as they build nests and raise youngsters, like these tricolor herons:
In April, we’ll have nesting green and little blue herons, anhinga, black crowned night herons, snowy egrets, great egrets, and even cattle egrets building nests. As well as yellow-bellied sliders, baby alligators, and interesting insects in the flowers.
Here are some more videos shot at the pond
The next time you’re on the island, it’s worth hanging out in the bird blind for a few hours. So excited that the Dewees Island Conservancy added this to their list of initiatives! It’s a wonderful new asset for appreciating our wild spaces and habitat.
