#MiddleburyCT #Herons
A Great Blue Heron dines on a fish caught in the shallows around Fenn’s Pond. (Curtiss Clark photo)
By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY
“I love Great Blue Herons,” Jill Walsh said. “You should write about them some time.” Her request led to this column on the Great Blue Heron and the smaller Green Heron.
When a Great Blue Heron flies overhead, legs trailing straight behind, I think the large bird looks rather prehistoric. It brings to mind what a pterodactyl must have looked like during the Jurassic period. Our Great Blue Heron is actually considerably bigger than that ancient dinosaur, with a wingspan of 66-79 inches versus 41 inches for the pterodactyl. Standing 45-54 inches tall, it is the largest native heron in North America. Adults here in New England average 4.6 pounds.
They rarely venture far from bodies of water and usually nest in trees or bushes near the water’s edge, often on islands (which minimizes the potential for predation) or in partially isolated spots. You can identify them by their size, spear-like beak, and blue-gray body coloration when you see them in pond and lake shallows, stalking slowly or seemingly frozen as they await an unwary fish or frog swimming by. Their diet is opportunistic – pretty much anything they can catch, including small mammals. Anyone who is ophiophobic (fun word for “snake phobic”) can be happy they are willing and able to catch and eat even a large water snake.
Four Middlebury locations where they may be seen are Sperry Pond, Abbotts Pond, Lake Elise, and Larkin Pond. We didn’t spot one during the Middlebury Land Trust Lake Elise bird walk April 22, but all on the walk had seen them in Middlebury.
The female lays her brood of pale blue eggs in March and April. They hatch about 27 days later after being incubated by both the males and females, with both share in feeding duties. (I’m always happy to learn that males help out with the kids!) The adults do this by regurgitating food; adults must eat roughly four times as much food during this time.
The young take to wing for the first time somewhere about two months later, although mom and dad continue feeding them for several more weeks. Eggs and young are vulnerable to many predators, including other birds (crows, turkey vultures, and hawks) as well as mammals (bears, raccoons). Not much is willing to brave the size and beak of an adult, but bald eagles and great horned owls have been known to try.
The Green Heron also is found in Connecticut. It is the smallest heron, at only 18 inches long, with short legs but an impressively long neck for its size. Despite its name, it is more a greenish gray black with a chestnut neck. Its feeding habits are like those of the Great Blue Heron, although its prey is scaled down in size. Green Herons also are seasonally monogamous. They are one of the few birds known to use tools when hunting, reportedly using bread crusts, insects, flower petals or other items as bait to lure fish.
Other heron species seen in our state include the American Bittern, Least Bittern and Black-crowned Night Heron. The Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron and the dramatic white Great Egret and Snowy Egrets are occasionally seen. With climate change, more birds are being seen north of their historical ranges, so who knows – you might see a rare one!
If you have an idea for a future article, or any feedback, contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or online at middleburylandtrust.org. Meanwhile, Happy Hiking!
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