Photo © 2005 Jim Jung and licensors. All rights reserved.

Great Blue Herons

While you never see huge migrating flocks of Great Blue Herons, they do migrate. And while some of the (presumably) northern Great Blues overwinter in our area - which confuses the situation - for periods in the spring and fall they seem to be everywhere.

Great Blue Herons were once persecuted by fishermen in the mistaken belief that they harmed fish populations. While these birds do eat fish they actually increase the viability of fish populations by thinning their numbers and allowing individuals to reach a larger size than they would if crowded by competitors. Great Blues were also used for target practice by bored or unsuccessful hunters. This situation changed in the 1970's with greater public ecological awareness and passage of laws (with teeth) making it a crime to shoot any non-game animal or bird. As a result Great Blue Heron populations have increased dramatically and this once uncommon bird is now seemingly everywhere.

Look for migrating herons (of all kinds) in shallow lake inlets, the shorelines of large creeks and rivers, and especially in flooded bottomlands and sloughs.

Offsite links:

• A 1927 entry from the electronic book, Life Histories of Familiar American Birds. No photos but comments on their behavior, some by Audubon.
• Several striking photos
• USGS Master list entry

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