#heronry

Heronry on an small island in a lake at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, England

Happy Tree Tuesday!

Trees are homes for all kinds of birds, and this illustration shows a heronry, also known as a heron rookery. Heronries are large nesting sites for dozens of herons. This forest in particular was estimated to host between 200 to 400 nesting pairs of grey herons (Ardea cinerea) at the time of the photograph!

Bare winter trees with heron nests used by grey herons in the summer

Heronry on an small island in a lake at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, England

The simple things in life are so important. Some moments in life are just there to remind us all. Live in the present, for crying over the past won’t change it and worrying about the future won’t help it, for it hasn’t arrived.

This weekend saw walks and peaceful moments, thoughts and laughter sprinkled with love.

Along this trail we discovered such beauty.

Further along we found a spot and sat with our little man.

As I watched the grasses dance in the wind, I stopped to smell, listen and watch the shadows and glitter as they swayed to and fro, little did I realise what was to come next!

Hint: It's roosting in the tree, center of photo.

Great Blue Heron are very large birds, sometimes reaching 46" in height with a wingspan of 72".  Despite their large size, and long gangly legs, they are very comfortable roosting in trees.  

In the spring Great Blue Heron form what are called "heron rookeries" or a "heronry" where many pairs congregate to nest and breed.  They can be quite impressive when you come across one in the woods.  I was lucky enough to find a heronry a couple years ago in a beaver pond near Fitchburg, MA.  You'll notice in the photo below at least five nests, each with multiple young.  There were many more nests too, I just wasn't able to capture them all.

So now you get the point.  While we're used to seeing Great Blue Heron wading in ponds, lakes, and marshes they are also quite comfortable in trees.  

This morning while walking along Green Lake in Seattle it took me a moment to process why I was hearing a stationary Great Blue Heron from above.  Finally I was able to find it perched in the top of a non-native Jerusalem cedar tree.  It just goes to show that you never know what you're going to see when you go out birding.

I went for a walk in Coombe Country Park today and I was pleased to see the wildlife there being well managed and thriving. The park/woodland itself is a designated SSSI and it also has conservation areas that are closed off to the public as to not disturb the wildlife. It is probably most famous for being home to the oldest and largest heronry in Warwickshire which you can only see from a distance in a purposely built bird hide.

I didn't have any binoculars on me so I couldn't see the heronry up close but I could tell that there were Grey Herons and Cormorants there. Other water birds I identified included: Mallard, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Coot, Moorhen and Black-headed Gull. It is also know to attract less common grebes and waterfowl such as Widgeon, Teal and Pochard but I didn't see them today.

The land birds I identified in the park were: Blue tit, Great tit, Coal tit, Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Dunnock, Reed bunting, Black bird, Robin, Wood pigeon, Magpie, Carrion crow and Jackdaw. I'm sure there were many more species there too I just didn't spot them. I am trying to learn birds by song/sound so that even if I can't see them I'll know they're there.