Jump to content
GoDuBois.com

Great blue herons


Bon

Recommended Posts

    • Great blue herons

      •  
      • Mar 31, 2018
       
      Great Blue Herrons

      Great Blue Herons are one of the areas largest birds and a fascinating one as well. Luckily, they are not a stranger to the areas waterways and if you have the opportunity to closely observe one it will be worth your while to do so. The author presents some basic information about this great bird.

      Photo by Wade Robertson
       

      There’s no doubt spring is on the way I guess. More and more robins are showing up, great flocks of geese pass overhead, flocks of ducks whistle by at high speed and the cardinal is singing his fool head off every morning, a sound so dear to my heart. Even better I saw my first great blue heron flapping slowly and purposely across the sky.
      Great blue herons, Ardea Erodio, have always been a favorite bird of mine. They are so connected with fishing I suppose they couldn’t help, but be. Floating the river especially, you turn a corner and disturb a heron in the shallows hunting intently for dinner. With a loud and displeased “rauck” they bend at the knees, spring upward and beat their great wings gaining just enough altitude to dive slightly and pick up speed, then just feet above the water fly downriver half a mile before landing and resuming their hunt.
      Adult great blue herons have a wingspan of around 66 to 79 inches. That’s 5.5 to 6.5 feet across and those wings are not only wide, but thick from front edge to back. Anyone who has seen a heron knows they stand quite tall. A smaller heron’s head is 45 inches above the water and a larger birds will be up to 54 inches high.
      Herons are a sleek creature, tall and thin, weighing when mature about five pounds, a bag of flour or sugar. Five pounds is a lot to get airborne especially when you consider a heron’s gangly shape when it comes to flying.
      First, they have practically no tail. If they had a long tail it’d be constantly dragging in the water as they waded the shorelines. Not only would it be constantly wet, but dragging those heavy, waterlogged tail feathers into the air wouldn’t be fun. I guess Mother Nature decided that practically no tail is better than a wet heavy one.
      A heron's legs are also very long with 3 to 4-inch toes and wide feet to keep from sinking in the soft sediments of the shoreline. Additionally, we can’t forget that long, snake-like neck and sabre-like beak.
      Aerodynamically a heron presents a problem to get and keep in the air. To offset the lack of a proper tail, the long neck, tall, dangling legs and big feet the herons wing are, as described above, very wide and long to give lift and stability to its ungainly form. When compared to the wing size of a robin in relationship to the body a heron has a much greater wing area for lift.
      However, things do balance out as nature is a perfectionist. The long dangling legs in back offset the heron’s big neck and head in front. Throw in an oversized set of wings and presto; the bird flies. Stately and slowly, but it flies.
      Herons eat anything they can catch. Their long, yellow bill is a dagger the heron operates with a deadly precision. I’ve seen them pick up small pollywogs delicately from the surface or suddenly dart and spear a large fish. Anything that moves is considered fair game. Fish, salamanders, frogs, small mammals, unwary baby birds, snakes, you name it, a heron’s appetite covers anything moving.
      Herons can be a pest if you have a small pond with fish. Once they know this little puddle has food they’ll keep coming back until its empty. Stringing crisscrossing rope across the pond to interfere with their wings can slow down or stop there depredations.
      If the opportunity comes along to watch a heron hunt you should definitely take the time to do so, it’s fascinating to watch.
      When a big, old, 747-sized heron lands it’s quite a sight. Immediately, they stand erect, every sense on alert for danger. When they’re sure the areas safe they flick their wings and arrange their plumage a bit to settle down and then begin to hunt.
      First, the sharp eyes scan the area close to them and if nothing is seen a step’s taken. Each step is a very deliberate affair. The leg and foot are carefully lifted straight up, paused if necessary, then deliberately moved forward and set gently and soundlessly back in the water. The heron body is leaning forward, the long neck back, the head tilted slightly down as those piercing eyes scan for food.
      Any motion in the water close to them causes the bird to react instantly, the long neck striking forward like a snake or the heron freezes, waiting with infinite patience for the creature to reveal itself or move within range.
      If prey reveals itself several feet away the heron watches intently and when it deems the time ripe, will stalk carefully and quickly forward, the long seemingly ungainly legs as smooth and silent as a cats waiting for the perfect moment.
      Once a heron‘s belly is full they like to stand in the shallows, head settled, one foot up and soak in the sun. They may also stand on a log or even fly up in a tree for their siesta.
      Herons are a common bird and their presence gives character, variety and delight to the streams, rivers, lakes and ponds of our region. Their huge size, distinctive squawk and stately flight will always be so closely associated with fishing to me. It couldn’t and wouldn’t be the same without them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I LOVE blue herons!! We usually see them on Sabula Lake, on the northern section where the pine trees are. He/SHE is either in the water or hanging out a pine tree.

At Stevenson dam, at the boat dock where everyone looks for the eagles, walk over to the tall dirt mound dam. There is a pond, a couple years ago we saw close to 50 herons in there. We were told that it was breeding time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Bon said:

I LOVE blue herons!! We usually see them on Sabula Lake, on the northern section where the pine trees are. He/SHE is either in the water or hanging out a pine tree.

At Stevenson dam, at the boat dock where everyone looks for the eagles, walk over to the tall dirt mound dam. There is a pond, a couple years ago we saw close to 50 herons in there. We were told that it was breeding time.

:thanks:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...