mostly herons

There were three Green Herons perched on an outlying half-dead complex of Red Cedars at the edge of the marsh this morning: one adult bird that was being harassed by a Blue Jay and two young birds that looked to be barely out of the nest, both with a full fuzz mohawk (the head fuzz is the best sign of a recent fledgling). I don't think either of these young birds was the same as the one I saw in the pond a week or two ago (that one had just a few fuzzy feathers sticking out of its crown) so these birds may be the product of two different nests. Why the Jay should think of the Heron as an enemy is a good question; perhaps it thinks it is some sort of raptor. Oddly enough, a male Cardinal was also sitting out on a dead branch watching the proceedings with interest but not participating. The Jay was essentially attacking the adult heron although the young ones were perched higher and more prominently. But Green Herons have a fearsome weapon in the form of a long, sharp bill and eventually the Blue Jay gave up and took off. In order to continue on my rounds without spooking the herons (the path leads right by the Red Cedars), I ducked inside the woods where there is a sort of overgrown deer path. As I started to bushwhack my way inside, a fourth heron lifted up from the marsh headed right overhead. One of the herons in the cedar (probably the adult) called loudly as the new heron veered off heading around the corner and into the woods. It was, I suspect, the other adult.

I had to make a short trip down to Dune Road and noted that the high tides and recent rains has produced, not only a lot of puddles on the road but also has filled up some of the dune swales on the south side of the road. These flooded grassy areas attract shorebirds and herons. Todays catch included a handsome breeding-plumaged Great Blue Heron and a Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs side by side for a nice comparison.

Eric Salzman