We were so excited to see that the Great Blue Herons were back in their nests around the eagle's nest!
There is always something to see when they start working on their nests and starting their families.
We made two stops...early and late....so you can see there is a difference in the light on the photos.
They come and go constantly, so there is a lot of activity.
Balancing act
Love those landings
I wasn't sure if some of this behavior was courting, since they didn't all carry nesting materials.
"I told you to bring sticks....go back and get some more sticks!"
Just hanging in the air.
No nest, no mate.....I hope this one is staking out a new tree and looking for a sweetheart.
"I'm back.....did you miss me?"
I just liked the silhouette look of this one.
Coming home to an empty nest?
"Look at these great sticks! They were just laying around all over the place. Is this what you wanted??"
Penthouse apartment
Winging away
Home sweet nest....with a few relatives next door.
There is always something to see when they start working on their nests and starting their families.
We made two stops...early and late....so you can see there is a difference in the light on the photos.
They come and go constantly, so there is a lot of activity.
Balancing act
Love those landings
I wasn't sure if some of this behavior was courting, since they didn't all carry nesting materials.
"I told you to bring sticks....go back and get some more sticks!"
Just hanging in the air.
No nest, no mate.....I hope this one is staking out a new tree and looking for a sweetheart.
"I'm back.....did you miss me?"
I just liked the silhouette look of this one.
Coming home to an empty nest?
"Look at these great sticks! They were just laying around all over the place. Is this what you wanted??"
Penthouse apartment
Winging away
Home sweet nest....with a few relatives next door.Now that my first excitement is over, I will try to limit the photos next time :-)
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18 comments:
I don't blame you for being excited about seeing this flock of Herons nesting in the trees! I would have been excited, too! Lucky you, for getting to see and photograph this. Always a joy to see your pictures!
that is amazing to see those blue herons nest. We have those herons here on the river but not that many,and I have never found a nest actually I didn't know that they nested up in the tree's,there legs are so gangley it hard to believe!!! I just got such a kick out of those photo's especially your captions. So darn funny!!! Thanks for the education on the blue heron!!
Dorothy: We had such fun watching them last year, so it's a joy to see them back.
Grammie G: It is called a Heron Rookery and they all cluster their nests together in the same area. I don't know of any individual nests in other places near us. It is fun to watch because they come and go constantly and you see them sit on the nests and see their babies when they hatch and learn to fly. Right now with no leaves on the cedar trees so you can see everything well. All of this activity is right around the eagle's nest we watch!
Okay, so I take it that your eagles are well established among the herons? Because at my heron rookery at Brecksville, Ohio a local birding expert tells me that since an eagle is nesting there, the area is now off limits and roped off so the public won't come too close and pester the eagles. Meanwhile, methinks people are sneakin' up as close as they can by the public road ... Anyways, cool shots, wish I could have been there with you.
CountryDreaming: This rookery and eagle's nest are only accessible by water, which is not allowed. It is in the middle of a flooded slough area about a mile from the Ohio River. I have to shoot these photos from the shore about 200 yards or more away and then crop them, if possible. There is nothing telling people it is there, except when they see others parked there taking photos and looking through their binoculars :-) The spot to park is just a gravel patch next to a power pole. We found out about it last year, but I think the eagle's nest has been there several years. When the cedar's leaf out more the nest is hard to see. The herons are much more obvious!
Thanks for these great pictures of all the activity around the nests. I hope this means that Spring is almost here.
What a fabulous photo opportunity!! great pictures. No herons here yet I'm still looking for ducks. Ann
Wow! I would LOVE to see that many herons around here! Love the photos, thanks for sharing!
Amazing pictures.To see those large birds perched at the ends of the branches is almost funny.
Blessings,Ruth
Limit the photos? don't you dare!
Mary, those are amazing bird pictures. I love the silhouette look.
Thank you for your nice comment on FT-L -- our Internet connection has been down since Friday morning and so I am really behind but as soon as I catch up I will be back to your blog -- it's just beautiful.
There is a rookery not to far from here, but i have never been there. Roger hunts by it...we will have to try to go check it out. I meant to last year and didn't make it.
I keep calling these trees "cedar" when I meant "cypress"....my husband just pointed that out. I knew it in my head, but my fingers were not saying what I know! LOL! They are Bald Cypress trees that the nests are in.
Hi Mary, That is a Heron HOTEL...... I do have a question. Do the nests stay in those trees all year --and do they come back to OLD nests and just recondition them, OR do they build new nests every year??????
Love seeing your Herons.
Hugs,
Betsy
Betsy: The nests stay there, unless the wind blows them about. They recondition them and probably build a few new ones if there are new heron pairs moving in. I don't know if they return to the exact same nest or just pick one on a first come, first serve basis :-)
Mary: I hope I can get back to see the nesting herons before my trip.
Oh MY ... how marvelous! Thanks for sharing your good fortune with us. These are wonderful photographs.
Hugs and blessings,
Small Reflections
Love those turtles!
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