Wading bird of the week: Great Blue Heron

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Thursday, March 6. 2014

Wading bird of the week: Great Blue Heron

A reader sent a pic of a GB Heron hunting, up to his knees in icy water. Note his fancy breeding plumage.

These relatively-common large birds can be seen almost everywhere in the US except mountainous and desert areas. They are semi-migratory. Read about them here.

Posted by Bird Dog in Natural History and Conservation, Our Essays at 18:25 | Comments (13) | Trackbacks (0)

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That's great, but how do they taste?

#1 model_1066 on 2014-03-07 01:58 (Reply)

I love these birds. We get them here a lot and can see them by the dozen if we go to the local NWR. They always manage to look elegant, even fishing. I've never managed that once.

#2 weaver (Link) on 2014-03-07 06:54 (Reply)

We call 'em Shag Pokes.

#3 bubba (Link) on 2014-03-07 07:59 (Reply)

I have often wondered: How do birds like this avoid frostbite? Feathers protect the body, but how about those thin legs and "webbed toes" immersed in icy water? (and cold salty water can be even colder than 32°) Is there blood circulation there? And what keeps it from freezing? Does anybody here know?

#4 Ralph of New London (Link) on 2014-03-07 08:17 (Reply)

http://askanaturalist.com/why-don%E2%80%99t-ducks%E2%80%99-feet-freeze/

#4.1 Bulldog on 2014-03-07 08:45 (Reply)

10-4. Thanks. Now I know. Pretty amazing, nonetheless.

#4.1.1 Ralph of New London (Link) on 2014-03-07 17:00 (Reply)

As they fly by my father's house (he lives on a lake), they look like pterodactyls.

Anyone who doesn't believe dinosaurs evolved into birds should compare them. Pretty wild.

#5 Bulldog on 2014-03-07 08:46 (Reply)

Pelicans even more so.

#5.1 Texan99 on 2014-03-07 09:16 (Reply)

True dat.

#5.1.1 Bulldog on 2014-03-08 15:49 (Reply)

As they fly by my father's house (he lives on a lake), they look like pterodactyls.

Anyone who doesn't believe dinosaurs evolved into birds should compare them. Pretty wild.

#6 Bulldog on 2014-03-07 08:46 (Reply)

That's not a hunting posture. On the hunt, these pretty birds stretch upward to their max height and stand stock-still for long periods waiting for something edible to wander by. That pose says "Damn! My feet are cold."

TC

#7 Leatherneck on 2014-03-07 10:19 (Reply)

Wandered into a heron rookery in a stand of cottonwood trees while out fishing along the Boise River. There was lots of squawking and excitement for a few moments. Only time I remember seeing more than one heron at a time.

#8 altered states on 2014-03-07 12:55 (Reply)

Around Atlanta, these guys are the scourge of backyard koi-ponds. No problem, for them, overflying suburbs and identifying fish in a barrel.

#9 T.K. Tortch on 2014-03-07 13:55 (Reply)

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Thursday, March 6. 2014

Wading bird of the week: Great Blue Heron