The Birds

The Birds. . , While the Mill Pond Restoration Project created a better environment for animals under the water, the creatures that we can see benefiting are the birds. A variety of feathered species are drawn here by the edible plant material and the small fish, crabs and other marine animals in the pond. The birds you see will vary by the time of year., REMEMBER: Feeding “human food,” even bread, to birds is not recommended. Please enjoy watching the birds but let them forage for themselves., Black-Crowned Night Heron , Unlike great blue herons, which have long necks, night herons seem to have no neck at all. Night herons are so-named because they most actively feed between dusk and nightfall., Herring Gull , This is the most common of the large gulls in North America. The red dot on their lower bill is a pecking target for babies. Immature herring gulls are a uniform dusky brown for three years., Snowy Egret , The white plumes of these stately birds were prized by hat factories of the late 1800s and early 1900s – including the factory that once stood on this pond’s shore. Egrets patiently hunt fish and crabs at the water’s edge. The snowy egret has a black bill, black legs and yellow feet. The great egret is larger with a yellow bill and black feet., Mute Swan , This large bird, native to Europe, was introduced in America in the mid-1800s at the estates of the lower Hudson River valley. Though they appear graceful and charming, swans often displace native waterfowl through aggressive behavior., Common Merganser , These slender ducks, which dive after fish, are occasional winter visitors here. Males are mostly white, save for a green-black head and black back. Females are gray with a brown head and white chest.