June 12, 2010
There has been a sorry lack of Black-crowned Night-Herons on Mystic Lake this year until the past few days. Was it because of a poor herring run, or fewer Night-Herons, or possibly the work that has been going on at the dam for the past year? They stopped work on the dam for the summer, and it can now be seen quite well from the parking lot between the Upper and Lower Lakes, so I decided to go over there to scope for herons. One of the new additions has been a fish ladder; in the past it is a mystery how the herring made it over the dam, but when they redid the dam they installed a proper fish ladder.

The above photo is of the lower part of the fish ladder. I think it's working. Or if not, at least the cormorants think it's working.

And the cormorants that weren't at the fish ladder were waiting their turn.

Gulls lined up on the dam railing.

Along with a friend.

A lousy photo, but it is just to illustrate a minimum of six herons in the tree beside the dam. They used to roost in the trees on the other side of the dam, but they were taken down for construction, and this tree will go in the next phase. Where will the Night-Herons perch?