Archive for the ‘Great Blue Heron’ Tag
Great Blue Heron Visited A Neighbor’s House — Image by kenne
Although one might not expect to see a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) in the Sonoran Desert, they have an extensive range
and occur throughout much of North and Central America wherever there is water. If you happen to have a koi or goldfish pond
in your backyard, you may be visited by a heron.
— kenne
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Great Blue Heron at Tucson’s Sweetwater Wetlands (August 13, 2022) — Images by kenne
These images were taken during the “Birdability” as part of the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival.
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Great Blue Heron In Madidi National Park, Bolivia (08/23/19) — Image by kenne
knee-deep in water
pay no attention to me
I’m a passer-by
— kenne
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Great Blue Heron — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Long neck
long legs
okay,
what the hack
waiting for the
right moment
becoming part
of the silence
what else is
a great blue
to do.
— kenne
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Great Blue Heron on the Shores of Lake Houston (May 27, 2022) — Image by kenne
Early morning
walking the trails
in Eastend Park
watching for animals
in the thick woods
near the shore
of Lake Houston
as a blue heron
views the murky
waters from the
heavy overnight rains.
— kenne
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Great Blue Herons In Madidi National Park, Bolivia (08/23/19) — Images by kenne
Madidi is a national park in the upper Amazon river basin in Bolivia. Established in 1995, it has an area of 18,958 square kilometers, and, along with the nearby protected (though not necessarily contiguous) areas Manuripi-Heath, Apolobamba, and (across the border in Peru) the Manu Biosphere Reserve, Madidi is part of one of the largest protected areas in the world.
Ranging from the glacier-covered peaks of the high Andes Mountains to the tropical rainforests of the Tuichi River, Madidi and its neighbors are recognized as one of the planet’s most biologically diverse regions. In particular, Madidi protects parts of the Bolivian Yungas and Bolivian montane dry forests ecoregions.
Access to the Madidi National Park by flying from La Pez over the Andes to Rurrenabaque. We drove muddy jungle roads to our guide’s Tacana Community, where we boarded balsa wood rafts on the Tuichi River.
— kenne
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Great Blue Heron (East Park, Lake Houston –10-17-21) — Image by Hugh Poland
Great Blue Herons are the largest of the North American herons, standing tall over wetlands and shores of open water.
Great Blue Herons are blue-gray overall with a wide black stripe over their eye and a long yellow-orangish bill.
In flight their wings are two-toned with blueish forewings and black flight feathers, and their neck is usually coiled in,
unlike the similarly sized Sandhill Cranes.
Great Blue Herons are highly adaptable and can be found in marshes, swamps, shores, and tideflats. Some will even forage
in grasslands and agricultural fields. They have a general diet consisting of fish, frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, insects, rodents,
and even other birds. Great Blue Herons will stand or walk slowly through shallow water before quickly striking with their long bill,
grabbing small prey or impaling large fish. Great Blue Herons nest in colonies, and usually build nests high in the trees,
but will occasionally nest on the ground or in low shrubs.
— Bryce Loschen (Houston Audubon)
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A Great Blue Heron Atop a Neighbor’s House — Image by kenne
Flooded agricultural fields, riparian water ways, lakes and ponds throughout the Sonoran Desert are often visited by Great
Blue Herons. Large stature, long serpentine necks and crest feathers give this bird, especially in-flight, a prehistoric look.
The plumage is largely slatey gray-blue except for the head with is white with a wide, black stripes on the cap.
Just about any water or wetland dwelling animal that is small enough to swallow (and occasionally too large) will be
taken as prey. Like all herons, great blue’s use stealth with great striking speed to spear their prey below the water surface.
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Great Blue Heron — Images by kenne
It’s not every Saturday morning that I get a call from a neighbor asking,
“Are you dressed?”
“Ahhhhh, yes,” I replied.
“Good, there’s a Great Blue Heron on a neighbor’s chimney, so you need to move quickly!” she said.
(Probably knowing I wouldn’t want to miss the photo-opt, she wanted to make sure I was dressed before telling me about her sighting.)
I was able to get a couple of photos before scaring off this beautiful bird.
kenne
32.270209-110.860703
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