Since the cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) have returned from their winter homes, I’ve been going out to the rookery to see how things are going. It’s always interesting out there, but I’ve been specifically waiting for the youngsters to arrive, and last week it happened! Many of the birds are still sitting on eggs, but there are also quite a few nestlings of varying sizes. Most of the nests are being carefully guarded by one or both parents, and adult birds are constantly flying in and out delivering food. As the nestlings get older and bigger the parents will spend more time away from the nest, and leave the little ones alone for longer periods. Now that the eggs are starting to hatch, I look forward to watching the chicks grow.