Cattle Egret at the Santa Rosa Rookery

The rookery in Santa Rosa is a fascinating place. The elegant parents flying overhead at times can seem almost angelic.

If the smells and constant noise don’t bring you back to earth, though, a close look a the fledglings waiting to be fed will.

It might be one thing to have a single fledgling to feed,

but this Cattle Egret had five or six to feed, and they were all clearly desperate for food. This one was so eager that it nearly took its parent’s

head off.

On a later visit, with no parent in sight these two chicks seemed to be looking for food from a sibling.

Two visits in two days isn’t nearly long enough to know what is actually going on in the rookery or figure out where they are getting the food to feed these fledglings in the middle of Santa Rosa, but it is long enough to raise new questions to consider in future visits.