#heronry

Feathursday Herons

Our friend, Wisconsin wood engraver Tony Drehfal, recently sent us an early proof of his engraving entitled Heronry that he is currently editioning. The engraving depicts a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) rookery near Nashotah, Wisconsin. He had begun the engraving on seamed boxwood and was about 70% complete before he and his wife Jeanne left on a trip for 3 months. When they returned, he discovered that the block had dried and split into four sections along the seams in the dry heat of his studio. He thought the block was ruined!

Still, he set the block on edge in a moist environment for a few months and the gaps had closed considerably. In a few more months they closed even more. He then placed the block in a humidity chamber (just a plastic bin with damp sponges) and in a few weeks the cracks were completely closed. He sealed the seams with glue and was able to complete the engraving. Phew!

Besides being a generous donor to our Special Collections, Drehfal is also a member of both the Wood Engravers’ Network (WEN), the national organization for American wood engravers, and its venerable British counterpart, the Society of Wood Engravers. He currently sits on the WEN Board of Directors.

View more prints by Tony Drehfal.

View more Feathursday posts.

View more engravings by members of the Wood Engraver’s Network.

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.