Natives!

[CraigC]

Last weekend we started cutting down a boganville to replace it with a flowering tree. I hate things with thorns! Anyway, after cutting it back some we discovered a coot nest. One of the eggs had been pushed out of the nest, probably unfertile, but once the parent sitting on the nest moved we saw 2 eggs. I'm not sure which parent is the mother as both take turns sitting on the eggs. Today we checked it out and found this:





One of the adults:





When we discovered the nest we stopped removing the foliage and will wait until the birds are gone. It's really cool to see the little ones and if we can we'll get updated pics as they grow.

CraigC

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[haroldo359]

nice pics.

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[NicoleRussell]

AWE NICE !
Baby birds are so cute

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[MTB Mamba]

Cool, is that at your house? What is the water source, A lake, pond, creek....?

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[John_White]

Cool pics!
The bird is a common gallinule A.K.A. Florida gallinule (Gallinula chloropus)

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[Ed_r]

Cool find. Won't the birds parent abandon the nest since its been disturbed?

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[John_White]

No. It seems to be a common misconception that if the nest is disturbed at all or the eggs are touched the nest will be abandoned. It mainly depends on the degree to which the nest was disturbed, the species involved, and the age of the babies.

[Stormyva]

Great pics Craig.
We had some of those big ugly ducks next in our yard and our son got to see all the babies fresh out of the eggs. It is really cool to see them grow up.

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[herpkingdom]

i was say this nest was disturbed to the Nth degree, wouldn't you? I mean he cut the tree down!

Probably less disturbed if a hurricane blew through town :P

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[CraigC]

The "Lake" is a rock pit, dug for land fill since the natural land has a layer of muck over it. As I said, when we discovered the nest we stopped cutting. If we had disturbed it to the "Nth degree", I don't think the parents would have continued to sit on the eggs, let alone have a hatchling. The pictures of the chick were taken when both parents were out foraging.

Now mind you, I could care less about the 2 Moscovy duck nests that are present as well since they are a non-native species and are about as "wild" as chickens. I won't go out of my way to harm them, but they do present a problem for native species as they displace them, taking up nesting space and food resources. Florida is rampent with introduced species and yes reptiles have contributed. Ever wonder where unwanted burmise pythons end up outside of rescues? It is believed by wildlife managers that Everglades National Park has a thriving, breeding population. Too many lonely roads and too many burms.
CraigC

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