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| "Cattle Egret" An 8 x 10 original acrylic painting by Mark Phillips |
This is the latest addition to my "Birds of Barbados" collection.
The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis") was first observed in Barbados in 1956 as migrants that roosted in the Graeme Hall Swamp. This swamp consists mainly of white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa). A primary breeding colony was established here in 1972.
A second colony, Hannays, was formed in the north of the island in 1978 in a small mixed stand of Bearded Fig Trees (Ficus citrifolia) and Whitewood Tabebuia pallida) The colony was located in mature trees which emerged out of a deep gully.
1n 1980, a colony was formed in Frizers, St. Joseph in a bed of reeds located in a dry stream bed and another in a small grove of white mangroves,(Holetown Swamp) in 1984.
What is interesting about the development of roosting and nesting sites in Barbados is their even distribution around the island. The first in the North, the second in the South and the last 2 in the East Central and West Central portion of the island, midway between the first 2 colonies.
Interestingly, Cattle Egrets can be found nesting intermittently around a pond in Drax Hall in the southeast portion of the island. The only part of the island that is unoccupied.
Egrets are well known for their varied and opportunistic diet. They have been observed eating African snails, insects, mice, small birds and garbage. It is believed that their diverse eating habits, as well as the absence of natural enemies, are the major reasons for them being one of the most numerous birds on the island.
Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you for the overwhelming response to my ongoing "Painting Giveaway" on Facebook! There are hundreds of entries and more coming each day. I have been forced to hire someone to prepare a spreadsheet in order to facilitate the random draw on Saturday!
So again, Thank You and GOOD LUCK!
"The fox when it sees a flock of herons or magpies or birds of that kind, suddenly flings himself on the ground with his mouth open to look as he were dead; and these birds want to peck at his tongue, and he bites off their heads." Leonardo da VinciAs always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment. And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.
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