Great blue herons are pretty common around the Upper Valley. All three of the loons’ ponds host great blues each year. Over the years, I’ve gotten a number of good shots of them. I’m pondering a ‘Heronscapes’ exhibit and have been digging through the archives to see what I’ve got. Let’s take a look.
The Hartland, VT, Public Library will host me to present my slideshow, An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon, this Wednesday, November 6 at 6 p.m. Free and everyone welcome. My print exhibit of loons is hanging in the Library through the end of November.
And my 2025 calendar is available:
The calendars are large – 9″x12″ with 13 of my favorite wildlife images. They’re $25 and $3 shipping per order. You can get one on my site: https://www.ianclark.com/.
On to the herons.
Most of the time, we spot great blue herons foraging along the shore of a river or pond. They can stand incredibly still before striking with lighting speed. They don’t seem fussy about prey. They’ll grab fish, crayfish, frogs, small birds and mammals. After we take the hay in our field, we get a pair of herons that show up to hunt the mice and voles. This heron has nabbed a crayfish.
Foraging in shallow water on the Weston’s Pond.
Flying past the reeds on the Easton’s Pond.
Herons will perch in trees overlooking the water. This probably gives protection from many of their predators.
Herons are smart enough to know where the sun will first hit their territory in the morning. On chilly mornings, they’re often perched to catch the earliest light.
Herons nest in rookeries, with nests high in trees. Most of the nests in this rookery were 25-30 feet above the ground. I’ve seen reports that they’ll build as high as 100 feet high.
A clutch is usually between three and six eggs. They grow into funny looking chicks. I suspect they were designed by Jim Henson.
A nice portrait of parent and chick.
Foraging in the early morning light on the Eastons’ Pond. I often joke that the herons on the Eastons’ Pond are skittish, but pose nicely twice a year. This year they outdid themselves, giving me extra opportunities.
Here’s one of the herons on the Eastons’ Pond ignoring the early morning light. But, this was July 2 and we weren’t chilly.
Another early morning shot on the Eastons’ Pond.
Wading in shallow water as the sun rises.
Another morning on the Eastons’ Pond.
This morning wasn’t an easy one for our heron to find breakfast. He? moved around to several spots before I saw him catch a meal.
Many of my favorite shots are actually from before sun up. I love the muted light and fog.
Heading out to get on with the day. I almost passed on this shot. I was much closer to the heron when I noticed him. I turned the kayak around and headed back up pond to get far enough back for some scenery. Fortunately, the bird waited while I moved and sat waiting for the water to quiet again.
One of our herons stretching as the sun begins to warm the pond.
I spent the morning visiting the loon family with two chicks in the Upper Valley area. Both chicks appear to be doing well, both are growing rapidly, are active and feeding eagerly.
The loons aren’t the only inhabitants of their pond. This great blue heron was out and about a little before sun up.
I got too close to Hank for the shot with my long lens before I noticed him. I debated it it was worth turning around, getting further back and waiting for the water to settle again. I figured he’d move along before I was set. Glad he didn’t. After the fog lifted, an osprey was up hunting for breakfast, and came to a hover almost directly overhead. Loons appear to differentiate osprey from other raptors at long range. Hawks and eagles are met with cries and the chicks flatten out to hide. But, the loons pretty much ignore the osprey (whose diet is almost entirely fish). He’s spotted breakfast….But, we came for the loons…. One of the adults stretching. I think this is our banded loon. The Loon Preservation Committee banded a bird with this combination of bands at Lee’s Pond in Moultonborough, NH, in 2015. The weren’t able to determine the sex while banding (I’m betting this is mom – the other loon is clueless about dealing with the chicks). It was spotted on Lake Tarleton in 2015 and on the current pond since 2018.
UPDATE: I guessed wrong. Eventually I was able to catch this bird yodeling, which only males do. He’s a much more attentive parent than mom. This pair of adults seems particularly fond of crayfish for feeding the chicks. They delivered several large crayfish early in the morning. And another crayfish…. This chick has learned to toss the crayfish up to grab it tail first for easier swallowing. After the first feeding, there was a break while the parents preened and the chicks napped. One of the adults swam close to my boat to preen. I got great views as it cleaned and oiled its feathers. (And, ‘close’ is a relative term, these were with an 800mm lens and cropped.) Feathers adjusted, time to give them a fluff and check to see if they’re repelling water. The family spent most of the morning in shallow water, with the chicks practicing diving and foraging. It will be a while before they can feed themselves, but they’ve started learning. This guy made a successful dive and managed to catch a stick. Sticks apparently do not make good snacks. The parents eventually got serious about feeding the chicks and started bringing in fish. Adult loons seem unfamiliar with the concept of volume. They brought in fish that appeared way too big for a chick to swallow. This little guy was up to the challenge, but had to work at it. Still trying…. Almost have it! Down it goes! The other chick got a shot at the next fish that was delivered. The chick promptly dropped the fish… The adult recovered it, and handed (billed?) it back over. This fish proved to be too big, one of the adults ended up eating it. And a last shot of one of the chicks stretching.