The most widely distributed and best known heron of our
country, the largest and most majestic of these fascinating
waterbirds is the great blue heron. In looking back to my high
school days in Kewaunee, some of the most memorable adventures
were spent in the old Chippewa wood and canvas canoe that my
buddy, Tony, and I fixed up and owned all through these four
glorious years of our youth, 1944-47.
I can clearly recall the many great blue herons seen hunting
in the shallows along the river and also flying to and from their
large rookery in Albrecht’s woods lying between the south portion
of the Kewaunee River and the Green Bay and Western Railroad
tracks paralleling River Road.
Every time we saw them "fishing" along the river
they were loners, a typical trait of the so-called
"kings" of the heron family – a total of 1l large
herons in the world. The only time I observed them fishing
reasonably close to one another was during the depths of winter
when they remained in the shallow open water, throughout the cold
months, below the Petenwell dam along the Wisconsin River south
of Wisconsin Rapids.
It is common for some people to confuse a heron with a crane.
Both are tall, stately and dignified and have long necks. One
very easily recognized difference is that cranes fly with their
necks entirely stretched forward. The great blue, as with other
herons, flies with its neck kinked into an "S" shape,
or, in a sense, tucked between its shoulders. Even while at rest
the neck is not fully extended. Its neck vertebrae are of
unequal length and it is for this reason that the herons hold their
necks as they do.
Several years ago a friend who lived at the time along the
shores of Lake Michigan called to tell us that she had found a
dead great blue heron. Charlotte and I examined the creature,
took many photographs of it and were especially intrigued at the
claw of the middle of the three toes on each foot. Its edge
resembles the rounded teeth of a comb and is used by the bird to
clean its plumage of dirt and debris picked up from its slimy or
oily prey.
The bird’s hind toe is on a level with its front three toes
so, in effect, the bird stands on all four of its toes. We also
marveled at the tire-tread-like bottom skin on each foot,
obviously very effective in that the bird frequently walks on
slippery underwater rocks.
Another feature that caught our attention were the heron’s
powder-downs, special types of feathers that are never shed.
Rather they fray at the tips into a powdery material used for
dressing their feathers. There are well-marked paired patches in
the bare spaces of each side of the breast, rump and flanks.
Stretched out, this graceful and picturesque bird measures
around 52 inches. Its scientific name is Ardea herodias
(AR-dee-a heh-ROE-de-as), Ardea being Latin for heron, and
herodias being Greek for heron.
The extensive summer range of the great blue heron stretches
from Canada to the West Indies and Central America. These tough
birds may winter in open-water areas of central to Southern
Wisconsin. Our southern Door County Christmas bird count had
them one year in the open spill-way and shallows of the Ahnapee
River below the Forestville Dam on December 28th.
Its native solitudes are in the shallows of river edges, small
isolated ponds, lakes, rivers and marshes. There you will see it
standing still as a statue, waiting for fish to swim within
range, or stalking in slow motion in its hunting grounds. Its
straight powerful bill is used to spear and capture fish,
salamanders, frogs, tadpoles and snakes. Don’t be surprised to
see one hunting for grasshoppers or an occasional mouse in an
open field.
They are strictly loners while hunting but are very sociable
and like company when nesting. Observe one of their colonies or
rookeries and you will see that it’s not unusual for their stick
nests to be 100 feet above the ground in trees often growing in
swamps. A great blue heron rookery may be more dependent upon a
good nearby source of food than suitable trees.
Locations of their nests throughout the US can vary. Many in
Florida are built in low mangroves, at the Great Salt Lake in
Utah on the ground amid rocks, and along the Colorado River on
ledges of cliffs bordering the watercourse.
Following an incubation of around 28 days the young remain in
the nest until fully fledged and nearly as large as the adults.
The "whitewash" excrement from young and adult birds
liberally coats tree branches, trunks and the ground below,
frequently eventually killing the trees. This whitewash, along
with dropped dead and rotting fish, produces an odor not soon
forgotten by those adventurous people who visit a rookery.
Some of these large herons’ actions especially when landing on
the nest are far from graceful, but every action is carefully
executed to protect its "livelihood," its long stately
legs. Without even one of them the great blue heron would be
doomed.
Locate one of these incredible herons and spend a half-hour or
more constantly observing every motion. Surely this is one of
the world’s most wonderful long-legged birds.
Few large waterbirds in North America can match the
great blue heron, with its majestic grace and statue-like poise.
This column appeared in the Door County Advocate
on 08/21/2004.
© Copyright 2004 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.
