Sunday, February 23, 2014

Great Blue Herons are back

This is the rookery, a year ago
Yesterday was just as beautiful a day,
But I didn't realize the herons are back until we passed this morning.
And today is an exceedingly grey day!


The herons are huge birds, 
Three to four feet tall, with a six foot wingspan.
They look like grey monks, sitting drawn up by their nests,
But are magnificent when the stand and move.
I cannot select, here are all the pictures.








The sycamore that fell over the winter is not being used


But the park rangers say this rookery has become overcrowded as it is
And the herons are moving further downstream.


I waited for the train on the way home.


Twice.


30 comments:

  1. Necks extended they are elegant looking birds.

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  2. The herons are beautiful. I've been caught by a train once in eight years. My post today is set in your neck of the woods. The Twinsburg McDonald's? Hudson was too snooty to have one at the time.

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  3. Such magnificent birds. What trees are they in? I see dried fruit/seeds hanging, but have no idea what they are.
    Jane x

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  4. Glad your blue herons came back! I love the blue herons we have here; while we may see one or two or three at the most when it is not nesting season; we have seen an abundance of them since the new year in their nests used from year to year it seems with just a few modifications here and there with repair. They are magnificient looking birds!

    betty

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  5. I would have thought they came back later than this. It is nice to see them.

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    1. You can set your watch on the last week of February, every year. I think they were first seen on the 20th this year at this rookery.

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  6. Huge birds! I did not know they nested together like that.

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  7. We have those herons where I fish. They are majestic birds.

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  8. The Great Blue is one of my favorites... so happy to see you have a whole rookery of them. What's the RR that runs by? CRX, Baltimore & Ohio, Chesapeake and Ohio? Or are any of them still running these days? My favorite as a child was the C&O.... I loved the logo of the Chessie cat sleeping. So sad that these days the RRs have abandoned SE Ohio.... at least there are wonderful rails to trails bike/walking paths there now. But... it sure would be nice to be able to take a train to Cincy or Columbus or Cleveland.....

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    1. It's the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic RR, AKA Polar Express. It runs rail/trail cars in the summer. Actually, it's pretty full year round with the RR's special programs.

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  9. Oh Wow. That would have brightened my grey day immeasurably. Thank you.

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  10. Beautiful photos. I especially like the clear day in the first one. Have a great week ahead.

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  11. Two things that are amazing and a great part of life...trains and big herons. I like them both a lot.

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  12. I think those are the first blue herons I've ever seen.
    I quite like watching trains go by, I stood watching a goods train pass in Port Pirie, there were so many cars it took almost ten minutes to rumble along.

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  13. Oh -- a farm friend of mine had a rookery on the family farm that provided lots of bird watching to folks that lived in that area. Blue Herons are magnificent birds -- love to see them in flight. How wonderful that you will be able to observe them. I have been hearing a few bird songs in this past week so I think we will be seeing more sunshine soon. -- barbara

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  14. Wonderful photos of these magnificent birds. I like the pompoms on the trees !

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  15. Good gracious, they really are enormous. I never realised that herons were that big!

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  16. oh what fun it will be to see them in the rookery, I am missing mine in California.

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  17. How beautiful those herons are. I have never seen them in person.

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  18. The birds are all coming back which is a sign that spring may come this year - eventually.

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  19. I love the great blue herons. Back when I went canoeing all the time we would chase them downstream until they came to the end of their territory and would turn around and fly back upstream.

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  20. They are very majestic looking. They fly into our back garden all the time hoping to score dinner at our koi pond.

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  21. They are very big birds.
    Merle........

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  22. Beautiful birds. It's amazing how they migrate right on schedule.

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  23. They are such huge, majestic beautiful birds and you really got great shots.

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  24. Herons! In trees!!

    I'd never considered that...

    Meanwhile, back in Minneapolis, it was six below at the bus stop this morning. I'm giving it until the end of March until I give myself permission to lose my mind.

    Pearl

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  25. Such huge lovely birds. Used to see them in the wetlands not far from here.
    Seeing a train twice meant you were sitting still twice, for who knows how long?

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  26. DEar Joanne, this was exciting--seeing the herons. They do look like grey monks. I was just outside and heard the cry of the Canadian geese returning north. Spring truly is coming. Peace.

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  27. Dear Joanne,
    how many are there?? It looks as if there are many.
    I saw a few free living herons in England, and some here (the years before, not now). But they were not as beautiful as yours, maybe I saw female herons?
    Here the very first geese flew over our house (cherished tradition - in all the 3 cities we lived in the last 10 years they did it). All these birds are signs that spring is coming - the blackbirds eagerly search for material to build their dishevelled nests.

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