Pomona Valley Audubon -
Chaparral Naturalist Archives

by MARY ANNA BARKER

The February eagle walk in Big Bear was a success in that we saw bald eagles, both adult and immature. But the treat was finding a heronry in a residential area not far from Eagle Point. On that 35 degree day with snow on the ground, there were five great blue heron nests high up in three different Jeffrey pine trees And at each nest was a great blue heron, just standing, with feathers ruffling in the wind.

Bill Strickler of Wild Wings Unlimited, Big Bear Lake, says these nests have been there at least five years and that the herons are year-round residents of the valley. He commented that the young are in the nest a long time (64-91 days) and the clacking of their bills as their parents arrive with food makes quite a unique noise in the forest.

Great blue herons are one of the most watchable birds with their three-foot height and six-foot wingspan. They can be seen in both saltwater and freshwater areas, in marshes and along the shores of the oceans as well as lakes, ponds, streams, tidal flats and sandbars, standing motionless with only the black pupils in their yellow eyes showing movement as they watch and wait, scanning for prey. But, besides this quiet stalking they have been known to dive at and pirate food from gulls, to land on deep water and float while foraging and to float downstream on rivers while jabbing at fish along the way. One great blue was observed following a group of dolphins herding fish into shallow water then feeding on the fish along with the dolphins. Two researchers watched one heron feed at a lake in California by plunging 10 meters into the water for bluegills Herons eat mostly fish, but also eat some rodents, amphibians reptiles and insects which they dunk in water, if available, before flipping them into the air for a head-first swallow. They will take human food scraps too, such as food left outdoors for pets.

Their nests range from flimsy platforms 18 inches across to older nests up to four feet across that seem to be used and repaired year after year. Four eggs are laid in March or April and are incubated for 28 days.

They are monogamous, at least seasonally. Both parents put regurgitated food, mostly fish, into the chicks' mouths and later small whole fish onto the bottom of the nest. Some young can fly around their area within 60 days of hatching, but the nests aren't abandoned until up to three months after hatching. In Montana other species of birds such as cormorants, Canada geese, great horned owls and bald eagles sometimes use abandoned or currently unused heron nests and nest along with the herons.

At the Long Beach Naval Station's southern end is a metal frame structure that was probably used at one time as an observation tower. While passing by near sunset recently, I counted seven nests and a number of great blue herons standing on it and more flying to it. A locked gate prevented further exploration

The aigrettes, those feathers on the heron's head and back which are important in Courtship displays, nearly brought about the demise of herons and egrets near the end of the last century when it was fashionable for ladies to have their hats and dresses adorned with these plumes. I’m grateful for the people of my grandparents' day who organized the Audubon Society as a public outcry against that destruction. As we come to the end of this century I wonder how many species we know and enjoy will be here for our descendants at the end of the next century. Is public outcry the only answer?