April 9, 2012 by Danielle DAuria
Molly Meserve is a graduate student at the University of New England.
Hello, my name is Molly Meserve and I am a graduate student at the University of New England in Biddeford, ME. Along with all of you I will be closely observing the fascinating behavior of Maine’s Great Blue Herons this summer. As a Maine native I am particularly interested in this work because the Great Blue Heron has been a constant in my life here in Maine. My master’s thesis focuses on the following question: Do prey delivery rates and total foraging times of Great Blue Herons in coastal and inland colonies differ and how may these factors affect chick survival? With the help of Danielle D’Auria and some wonderful HERON volunteers I have been able to visit a few of the Great Blue Heron colonies in the State. Two of those colonies have been chosen as the main focus of my study; the inland colony is located in Hollis, ME and the coastal colony is in Brunswick, ME. I will be out in the field from April 1st until about mid-August observing from ground blinds that I have set up in each of the sites mentioned above. While in the field I will be focusing on gathering accurate numbers of adults, chicks (their approximate ages), and nestlings along with prey delivery rates and time spent foraging for each nest observed.
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Posted in HERON, Research, Species Specific | Tagged behavior, feeding, food habits, great blue heron, HERON, heron colony, Heron Observation Network, Maine, monitor, nestlings, productivity, research, volunteer | 5 Comments »
March 29, 2012 by Danielle DAuria
Great blue herons started arriving back in Maine over two weeks ago. The first report I received was of two birds seen near a breeding colony in Brunswick on Monday, March 12th. Despite these early arrivals, most of the state’s birds don’t initiate nesting until mid-April, and some as late as mid-May. In New York, it appears the great blue heron nesting season begins a bit earlier. A live webcam on a nesting pair of great blue herons at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology just documented that the female laid her first egg last night!
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March 6, 2012 by Danielle DAuria
The following was written and shared by Diane Winn of Avian Haven, one of the largest bird rehabilitation practices in New England. Located in Freedom, Maine, they have treated over 12,000 birds comprising over 100 species.
Great Blue Heron found injured at Cobbosseecontee Lake. Photo by Steve Allarie
Warden Steve Allarie called on the afternoon of October 24th to give us a heads-up that he was about to attempt a rescue of a Great Blue Heron tangled in fishing line near the north end of Cobbosseecontee Lake. Responding to a call, Steve had found her standing up, half in and half out of the water, with a significant length of monofilament wrapped around the left wing and leg, and some tissue damage to the wing. Steve made a quick detour to grab a large kennel, and returned to the site with Warden Dan Christianson.
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Posted in Field Notes, Photos, Species Specific | Tagged Avian Haven, fishing line, great blue heron, herons, Maine, post-breeding, rehabilitation, volunteer, warden, wildlife rescue | 2 Comments »
January 27, 2012 by Danielle DAuria
Introduction
Since 2007, the great blue heron (Ardea herodias) has been listed inMaine as a Species of Special Concern. While this status has no regulatory significance, is does signify possible decline and that more information is necessary to accurately determine the population trend. Thus, an effort was initiated in 2009 to better track great blue heron colonies and the number of nesting pairs in the state, both on coastal islands and at inland sites. Continue Reading »
Posted in HERON, Photos, Species Specific | Tagged adopt-a-colony, aerial surveys, great blue heron, HERON, heron colony, Heron Observation Network, herons, Maine, monitor, volunteer, wildlife | 2 Comments »
June 10, 2011 by Danielle DAuria
- Photo by Deb Dutton
June is when nestlings appear in most great blue heron colonies in Maine. In Maine, great blue herons lay their eggs anytime between late April and mid-May. After approximately 27 days of incubation, the nestlings hatch out mostly unfeathered except for pale gray down that appears a bit bushy on the crown. They weigh less than 2 ounces at hatching and can barely hold their heads up. Within a week or two they can be seen poking their heads above the edge of the nest bowl, especially when their parents return to the nest to provide food. Within 7-8 weeks, the nestlings will grow to adult size, weighing in at 4.5 lbs and standing about 3 ft tall. Check out a video clip of a heron nest with nestlings taken by Deb Dutton on Facebook!
Posted in Field Notes, HERON, Photos, Species Specific, Volunteer View | Tagged great blue heron, HERON, heron colony, Maine, nestlings, video | Leave a Comment »
April 27, 2011 by Danielle DAuria
An adult great blue heron arrives ready to feed its nestlings. Photo by Ron Logan.
[The short article and incredible photos below are from volunteer, Ron Logan, who monitors 4 great blue heron colonies for HERON.]
The season will begin in a couple weeks to monitor my 4 Great Blue Heron colonies. These pictures are from last year and were taken from quite a distance. Generally you can’t get very close to nests, since they are in wetlands and 20 to 50 feet in the air. If you think feeding your babies was tough, or that dinner table fights with your siblings was a nightmare, imagine what it would be like as a Great Blue Heron. Continue Reading »
Posted in Field Notes, HERON, Photos, Species Specific, Volunteer View | Tagged behavior, feeding, great blue heron, HERON, Maine, nestlings, volunteer |
March 10, 2011 by Danielle DAuria
In April 2009 at this colony in downeast Maine, ice-out is not yet complete and the herons have yet to return. Photo by Jonathan Mays.
The snowpack is gradually receding at my house. A remnant of our first snowman of the winter is poking its head out once more (so that’s where my hat went!). While I dread the looming mud season that will follow, I am excited that spring is really on its way. In fact, the Vernal Equinox is just around the corner: March 20th to be exact. Besides mud season, the arrival of spring also marks the return of great blue herons to Maine. Have you seen any herons yet? Feel free to post here or on Facebook to share your first heron observations of the season.
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Posted in HERON, Photos | Tagged adopt-a-colony, great blue heron, heron colony, monitor, spring, volunteer | 7 Comments »
February 11, 2011 by Danielle DAuria
Great blue heron. Photo by Ron Logan.
The great blue heron is often touted as one of the most widespread and adaptable birds in North America. Here in Maine they are certainly widespread, but recent data has suggested a decline in their breeding population especially along the coast. Concerns over a population decline prompted the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to conduct a comprehensive survey of breeding colonies in 2009, and to begin a statewide adopt-a-colony program called the Heron Observation Network. Join me at one of the following locations to learn more about Maine’s largest colonial wading bird…
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December 28, 2010 by Danielle DAuria
[About the image above: This great blue heron was made by my father, Sam D’Auria, out of several different hardwoods, an art form called intarsia.]
As 2010 draws to a close, I’d like to take a few moments to thank all those who have helped to make the 2nd year of the Heron Observation Network a success. To date, I’ve received data from 41 volunteers who monitored 52 great blue heron colonies in 2010. These volunteers contributed 148.5 hours of their time to increase our understanding of the status of the great blue heron in Maine. THANK YOU! In addition, members of the public reported more than 13 new colonies, thereby increasing our ability to track the statewide population. Many thanks to all the landowners who have provided staff and volunteers access to their land for the purpose of monitoring great blue heron colonies. Not only are the landowners providing access, but they are also providing in one way or another disturbance-free habitat that is appealing to herons for nesting.
I’ve enjoyed meeting and communicating with our volunteers and landowners, and look forward to additional interactions in the coming year. There are always more colonies that need volunteer monitors and there are likely more colonies to be discovered. If you know of a wading bird colony, please don’t hesitate to report it to me. Or, if you’d like to join the Heron Observation Network and adopt a colony yourself, please contact me, [email protected], (207) 941-4478.
Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!
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November 29, 2010 by Danielle DAuria
Logan Labree, Dalton McCaughlin and Rachel Bates measure and record the diameter of a great blue heron nest tree while Skip Walsh (in background) searches for another nest.
On a brisk fall afternoon after most students have headed home from Sebasticook Valley Middle School, 10 students remain. They each don a hunter orange cap supplied by the school and head outside. Today’s meeting of the Maine Outdoors Club is a unique one. They have two guests: Brad Allen and I, both biologists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W).
Though it is hunting season, the students are not going to learn about hunting laws or ethics. Instead, they will assist with monitoring a great blue heron colony located literally in their back yard, right on school property.
The school district’s great blue heron colony was originally reported to MDIFW by local residents in 2009. The initial ground visit by biologists last April revealed only six nests, but the breeding season had just begun and the colony was likely not yet fully occupied. An aerial survey of the site in late June revealed an estimated 30 nests, most containing nestlings.
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Posted in Field Notes, HERON, In The News, Photos, Research | Tagged great blue heron, HERON, heron colony, Maine, Outdoors Club, Sebasticook Valley Middle School | Leave a Comment »
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Danielle DAuria
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