Tag Archives: Great Blue Heron

With birding still slow I stopped at a rookery that I have not been to for a few years to see if the Great Blue Herons had returned. Yes they did with about 10 birds and about 9 active nests. The birds were just standing on nests when I arrived at a distance. I did not see any repair work on the nests being done yet or herons bringing in branches to fix things up for the new season. Who knows when they arrived back, maybe it was just yesterday. I took a few photos and left as I did not want to disturb them as I’m sure they had things to do. They say a winter storm is coming! It was a beautiful sunny day with mild temps around 40, low winds. Images were taken on March 24, 2023.

This Great Blue Heron was coming in to perch…

still coming in…

Great Blue Heron just sitting on the nest….no other action while I was present…

Perched high…

Another Great Blue Heron just sitting on the nest…

Perched above the nest…

Perched pretty…

A few juvenile Great Blue Herons have been present at Greenfield Park lately. They have been not very active but on a few occasions I have caught them catching fish. Most of the time they are just standing in the water waiting for something to come by to eat and I really think fish numbers are down in the lagoon. Maybe that could be one of the reasons there has been little action as it takes awhile for fish to come by. No adults around as there were earlier but they must have moved on or are heading south. Skies have been mostly sunny and light winds. Images were taken on  September 7-9.

A nice catch by this juvenile Great Blue Heron…

Just waiting for the next fish…

Drying off those wings…

More waiting…

What??

Another nice catch!

Walking along the island shore hoping to get a nice catch…

Just moving along the shoreline in water…

As I walked Greenfield Park this morning I came across a juvenile Great Blue Heron. The heron was walking through a weedy area out about 25 feet from shore. It moved slowly through the weeds catching a few fish and missing a few too. It was a warm morning and only going to get hotter with mostly sunny skies and little wind. Images were taken on August 24, 2021.

Hunting in the weeds listening and waiting for the next chance to catch a fish…

A try and a miss…

A nice catch here…

On its feet, so silent moving through the weeds listening and watching for something to catch and eat….

Such a beautiful bird…

Getting low in the water, it must see something ahead…

Just a nice pose…

Attack mode…

Another nice catch!

Moving into some deeper water here as there must be something ahead…

And another…

While out birding on some back roads in Sawyer County I came across a Great Blue Heron. It was standing on a log preening when I went by. A beautiful morning out with temps in the upper 50’s to start and sunny skies. Images were taken on July 2, 2021

Great Blue Heron perched on a log…

Those beautiful feathers…

Dagger type bill…

While birding Greenfield Park in Milwaukee County this morning the highlight was a scuffle with two Great Blue Herons. The two Great Blue Herons came around a corner of an island at the pond and after they landed, the scuffle began and they gave great views of the interaction between them. Must be a territorial thing. It was a slightly overcast morning with a nice breeze, temps were perfect! It was a great time with great friends, birders and photographers too. Images were a taken on September 2, 2018.

Around the corner they come…

About to land…

The scuffle…

They go their own ways…

One of my birding stops this morning was Greenfield Park in Milwaukee County. A slow morning out, the highlight at Greenfield Park was a Great Blue Heron hunting, catching and eating a Goldfish. It is always nice to see a heron eat something other than a Goldfish, but I guess it is good if they are taken out of the pond. Other species seen where a few Green Herons doing some high flybys. A beautiful morning out with light sun, low winds and temps in the upper 60’s. Images were taken on June 8, 2018.

The Great Blue Heron looking and waiting for something to eat…

Intense listening and looking and waiting for the next meal…

The catch…

Some handling of the fish…

More handling of the fish…

More handling of the fish…

Turning the fish in the correct position to swallow…

In it goes…

Going in…

Going down…

Gulp…

More gulp with a quick drink which is what they do typically after eating something…

Waiting for the next snack…

To a new fishing spot…

A Great Blue Heron was seriously fishing this morning at Greenfield Park putting on a great show while I watched from a distance. This young bird ate and ate with very few misses and twice captured 2 Flathead minnows at once while I was there. It eyed some of its food from a short distance and gave striking moves to capture its morning food, but sometimes just waited for the next small fish to swim by, then the capture. Other birds present at the park were just the typical birds that have been hanging around recent weeks. It was a nice morning to be out, with low winds, full sun and warm temps. Images were taken on September 22, 2017.

Catching a pair!

Stealth mode, looking for the next catch with a drip!

The catch!

The drop…..

Stealth mode times 2…

Another catch!

Great Blue Heron with a Flathead Minnow

The heron sees something a short distance away…

Gulp!

Got it!

Another pair of Flathead Minnows!

Shaking the head with the tongue out, I have seen this before…

Another small catch…

I checked out a Great Blue Heron rookery in southern Wisconsin today to see what was going on. Lots of young and getting to have some size to them too. Some adults came with sticks for ongoing nest maintenance. Other adults came to the nest and regurgitated food in to the nest for the young to eat. Always amazing when I sit back and watch all these things happen. A beautiful sunny day with low winds and mild temps. Images were taken on May 19, 2016.

Great Blue Heron

Binomial name: Ardea herodias

Category: Bitterns, Herons, and Allies

Size: 46” long, 72” wing span

Weight: 5.3 lb

The nest has on going maintenance

Adult preening, with young

I birded some of the lakefront in Milwaukee this morning and for the most part, very quiet. One Caspian Tern at McKinley Marina and 500 + Bonaparte’s Gulls at Grant Park were the highlights that I could find along the lake. The lakefront was very cold with a stiff north wind, a few times the sun felt great. Stopped at Whitnall and just a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers were present, along with typical birds we see and birds that have been reported recently. I crossed paths with Bruce and we headed up to Greenfield Park for a last stop. There was a Great Blue Heron, a 1st year, a bird born last summer, putting on a great show, catching fish, preening and do what Great Blue Herons do. It was nice to wind down the morning with a little excitement with the heron. Images were taken on April 23, 2016.

The catch, with a Bullhead

Great Blue Heron

Binomial name: Ardea herodias

Category: Bitterns, Herons, and Allies

Size: 46” long, 72” wing span

Weight: 5.3 lb

Fish in neck

Fish still in neck

Fish going down with a look

Preening, grooming and caring for the feathers

Preening

Preening

Preening

Preening

Great Blue Heron with a Flathead Minnow

Stretching

Double catch! Great Blue Heron with Flathead Minnows

Great Blue Heron with a Flathead Minnow

Fishing

Great Blue Heron with a Flathead Minnow

Great Blue Heron with a Flathead Minnow

Great Blue Heron with a Flathead Minnow

Great Blue Heron with a Flathead Minnow

The amazing feathers!

Great Blue Heron with a Bullhead

I took a run over to Greenfield Park mid-afternoon do a short birding run. Great Blue Herons have returned, one seemed to want to nap while another one, a heron in full breeding plumage went hunting for some food and did some moving around too. From what I had heard, they have been back a couple of days now, how exciting. Another species I saw were 2 Pied-billed Grebes near the island. Nothing else but recent reported species. Hopefully this year they will raise another nice family there. It was mostly cloudy but the sun did shine for a couple of minutes while I was there. Images were taken on April 1, 2016.

Great Blue Heron

Binomial name: Ardea herodias

Category: Bitterns, Herons, and Allies

Size: 46” long, 72” wing span

Weight: 5.3 lb

Hanging out at the island

The drink

Hunting

Hunting

Looks like a 1st year bird, a bird born last year just resting off the beaten trail

I discovered a roost in Pewaukee Wisconsin back in 2009. I followed it for a couple months. During that time I watch some of the nest building, adults sitting on eggs and feeding the young. I found out adults bring sticks and branches to the nest as maintenance continues on the nest until the young leave the nest. Food was being bought in from nearby lakes and steams as I watched the adult herons come with food from all directions to the roost area. In that spring I counted 34 nests in this rookery, 18 active. A couple of years later I returned to the area and it had changed drastically. Many of the trees had fallen and the area was no longer being used by the Great Blue Herons.

Great Blue Heron coming in for a landing to the nest

Great Blue Heron

Binomial name: Ardea herodias

Category: Bitterns, Herons, and Allies

Size: 46” long, 72” wing span

Weight: 5.3 lb

Great Blue Heron bringing in a small branch to the nest that must be in need of repair or made stronger or bigger as the young grow

Great Blue Heron just spending time by the nest

Great Blue Heron coming in for a landing near the nest

Great Blue Heron with young

Great Blue Heron near the nest

Great Blue Heron near the nest looking around

Great Blue Heron near the nest stretching

Great Blue Heron with young

Great Blue Heron feeding the young with a fish from a nearby lake, river or stream

Great Blue Heron with young

Great Blue Heron with young

Great Blue Heron with young

Great Blue Heron with young

Great Blue Heron near the nest just watching the young

Great Blue Heron rookery from a distance

Great Blue Heron rookery from a distance

Great Blue Heron rookery from a distance

Great Blue Herons watching the eggs in the nest

An airplane flies overhead and the young Great Blue Heron just look up and wonder

Great Blue Heron coming in for a landing at the nest

Great Blue Heron coming in for a landing at the nest