Saturday, February 16, 2013

Blue herons in shades of grey



The herons are back, nesting at the rookery.  We came back from Kathleen’s yesterday, chased by Alberta Clipper number seven or eight, scudding heavy grey clouds across the sky. 

 I told Jan I saw a heron a couple of days ago.  She’s seen one, too, so we came across Yellow Creek Road to get to the rookery. 


The park has made a small pull off area near the Bath Road bridge over the river.  Usually it’s packed with cars that have stopped to watch the magnificent birds, but no so many yesterday.  



Grey trees, grey sky and grey birds.  Click to enlarge a picture for a nice view of nest construction.


21 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! That is so awesome! I've never seen so many of those huge birds in one place.

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  2. How fabulous!
    I saw a bald eagle on Thursday....made my day!
    Jane x

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    1. Wonderful, aren't they. I heard they were back at their rookery, further down the river. It's off limits to viewing, and I havn't seen one out and about yet. We did see a red tail hawk nail a mouse from the median between six lanes of freeway traffic. What precision!

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  3. That is really something. We see the odd one go over on its way to the Guelph Lake but I have never seen them roosting like that.

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  4. I'm surprised they're nesting already. Maybe they're just staking out their territory so they have a good spot when breeding season comes. I wonder why turkeys never nested in trees like herons. They are so vulnerable nesting on the ground.

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    1. We think they're about two weeks earlier than usual.

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  5. Oh my. How beautiful. Thank you so much.

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  6. I don't see them in large groups like that around here.

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  7. So beautiful, Joanne! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  8. Who knew? I've never seen more than one at a time.

    WHat do they call a group of them, A flock?

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    1. A group of herons is called a scattering, sedge or seige. If they are nesting, the nest area where they all get together is called a rookery.
      - They are also known as a hedge of heron.

      From Wiki-answers. Who knew.

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  9. I so enjoyed seeing the pictures of the birds and their nests. They build their nests in the trees close to where we walk Koda down by the ocean; they truly are magnificient birds; we enjoy checking up on them.

    betty

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  10. I always think they look a little ungainly perched in a tree, with those long legs. We get a bird called Little Egret sitting in the trees near the brook. They are a beautiful pure white; but boy they look odd in a tree :)

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  11. Lovely photos, very wintry, just what I need to see after today with our glaring 39.2C heat, with the same coming again tomorrow. Ugh!

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  12. Great to see the herons, we had a couple that nested at our last home for three years in a row, they were amazing to see how they tended to their young for so many months, through rain and heat and all. What is that tree at the top of your blog with the red branches? it is lovely.

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    1. We stopped at the golf course to ask, but no one was there. So, I drove by very slowly. It seems to be a young willow, but there are no others around here I can compare it to for being in bud so soon.

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  13. So breath-taking, Joanne, to zip, blog style, to your rookery for this amazing sight. Nothing like that in Portland. So grateful you shared!

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  14. Dear Joanne, thanks for suggesting that we click on the photographs to see the next construction. It's amazing. Peace.

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  15. Something weird and spooky about seeing those huge birds in large numbers in a leafless tree. Still the photos are fun. Thanks.

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  16. Huge nests! and so many of them!

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