Without a care,
For water hides
His daily fare.
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Altho protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty, this heron often finds himself the target for thoughtless hunters. Not that he would make a tasty dish, but any bird which stands 4 feet high with a wing spread of almost 70 inches is in constant danger. His favorite feeding grounds are wet meadows or pastures, ponds, lakes or streams. Most of his food consists of rough fish which he catches expertly, either standing patiently in shallow water until a fish appears, or walking slowly along the edge of some shallow pond until he discovers his prey. Snakes, frogs, insects, mice, eels, or even small birds are not safe from a hungry heron.
Unlike cranes, which fly with necks outstretched, herons fold their necks back as if resting their heads on their shoulders. Their flight is a slow, measured beat which carries them to their destination. These birds seem to prefer tops of tall trees, such as sycamores or cottonwoods, either in isolated locations or on islands. Favorite sites are used year after year and nests often cover as much as 3 feet in space and are placed well out on limbs. A colony of Great Blue Herons is frequently joined by herons of other species. Such a colony of fish-eating birds is both noisy and odorous.
If, when he flies
He folds his neck,
The heron is