Posts Tagged: herons

Rounding Up the Usual Suspects

On April 30, 2026 - Beavers, Herons, Loons, Warblers, Wildlife Photography

The run of nice mornings let me get out several times since my last post. I’ve called on the Middletons and the Westons, visited the falcons and the heron rookery as well as paddled in the Connecticut. This is a roundup of what I saw.

I’m still looking for fox, coyote and bobcat dens. And other mammals bigger than a squirrel. If you’ve got them hanging around where I won’t be in the way photographing them, I’d love to know.

I’ll be giving my slideshow An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon at the Rockingham, Vermont, Library this Saturday May 2, at 11 am. Free and everyone welcome. And I have prints of some of my favorite loon photos hanging in the Library now. Stop in and have a look. Later in the month, I’ll be doing my slideshow of my favorite shots from 2025 at the Bugbee Center in White River Jct. at 1:30 pm on Wednesday May 27 and again at the Blake Memorial Library in Corinth, VT at 6:00 pm on Friday May 27. On to the critters…

I’ve managed to visit the herons twice. The first visit found some herons sitting on their eggs and the others putting the finishing touches on their nests.

They take great care in how they place the sticks. I suppose if you know you’re going to be sitting on them for a few weeks, you want to make sure all the pointy bits are well tucked away.

Finishing up the details on the nest. There’s a heron sitting on the nest to the upper left.

The mate showed up as the first bird was finishing up. You can’t tell him from her by looking, and both birds are involved in building the nest and incubating the eggs.

The member of the pair that flew in as the work was finishing up stretched in a courtship display.

Another heron sat just outside the rookery and provided commentary.

One of the males with a nest in the rookery arrived with the very stick they needed for the nest. The males gather the sticks and deliver them to the nest. The females will nod if they find the stick worthy of being added to the nest.

The female of the pair wasn’t around, so the male stashed the stick near the nest.

He took a few minutes to preen, which seems a challenge standing on a small branch.

The next trip had me visiting the Middletons. There were two loons on the pond. Somewhat embarrassingly, I caught up with them before they finished their ablutions. Mr. Middleton waved his leg, letting me see his bands telling me he was who he claimed to be.

Mr. Middleton greeted me with open wings.

And this appears to be the new Mrs. Middleton. The previous Mrs. Middleton died shortly after being driven from the pond by a female challenging her for the territory. Neither the challenger nor this bird were banded, so we can’t tell for sure, but it is likely this is the challenger from last year.

I typed too soon in the last post when I said there didn’t seem to be many Canada geese around. They’re back in force.

The Middletons finished breakfast and tucked in for a nap. You can see Mr. M’s bands on his leg.

The next couple outings took me to the Weston’s pond. The Westons are often not in the mood for visitors and keep their distance. I try to respect their moods and keep my distance when they want to be left alone. There was a pair of loons on the pond. Mrs. Weston disappeared in early August last year and wasn’t seen again. We probably have Mr. Weston back with a new mate.

There was a flock of about 35 swallows – mostly tree swallows with a couple barn swallows for color. They were using this tree for a perch. They’d – more or less – settle for a bit before something got them going and they’d depart en masse. They’d fly out a ways before promptly returning to the tree. I couldn’t spot what got them going but suspect that one had spotted a tasty looking insect and went to nab it – with everyone following along.

Flocks of birds never completely settle. Someone is always looking for a better spot.

And there were at least a couple of couples intent on making little swallows in the mix.

Mr. Mallard had some place elsewhere he needed to be.

Warblers are back. Here’s the first yellow-rumped warbler (aka butter butt) of the season.

And what appears to be a disapproving palm warbler.

The next trip out was to visit the Middleton’s pond again.

One of the Middletons was up and ready to get going at dawn. They were covering lots of ground while foraging for breakfast. I wandered off to see who else might be out and about.

One of the resident beavers was as busy as himself and was making a quick improvement to the roof of his lodge. He dragged this stick to the lodge and pulled it out of the water.

Carefully adjusting it for the proper pitch and angle.

With his chores done, he stopped for some breakfast. Beavers eat the bark off of branches and trees. That’s why I’ve named this guy – wait for it – Chewbarka.

One of the Middletons gave a good stretch as I was heading out.

The next morning found me checking in on the falcons.

They’re sitting on their eggs, so there wasn’t much going on to photograph. The on nest duty bird did peer out above the lip of the shelf with the nest.

The mate sat in a tree above the nest, mostly preening and snoozing.

There is a brave pair of eastern phoebes nesting on the cliff about 20 feet below the falcon’s nest. I’m surprised at the number of song birds in the area. Steering clear of where falcons frequent would seem to be a good idea. The smaller birds in the area must know the falcons are there. The small birds seem to keep low and close to the cliff – making it impossible for the falcon to stop before hitting the ground if it went after them. I thought of J.R.R. Tolkien’s advice, “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near one.”

And the next morning found me back at the rookery.

All the nests had birds sitting on their eggs. Again not an exciting morning watching birds just sitting. This heron did pop up several times to adjust the sticks in the nest.

Sticks back in their proper place, the bird settled back in.

Someone’s mate came back from his favorite watering hole and stood guard at the edge of the nursery.

The Waits and Connecticut Rivers have been too high for me to be comfortable paddling. Earlier this week, it had dropped enough for me to venture out. When I got out Wednesday morning, the water had dropped to the point where navigating anywhere but the deepest part of the Waits was difficult.

There were several killdeer out foraging along the mud at the water’s edge. There were lots of grackles and red-winged blackbirds and a few ducks around. A murder of crows mobbed a red-tailed hawk every time he dared fly over. With the low water, I saw several large snapping turtles foraging.

A pair of northern flickers were cleaning up a nesting hole. Tree swallows looked like they were going to move in downstairs in the same tree.

The flickers took a break to make little flickers and share a moment afterwards.

There was a bit of a close call when rounding a curve in the river, I surprised a croc basking on the riverbank.

The killdeer were creating a ruckus calling and flying around. After a time, I found four of them in a kerfuffle. I couldn’t figure out the cast. There was at least one female that presented repeatedly. There were at least two that would charge her when she did. Often one or both would take a short flight, often with an attack while in air. Sometimes it appeared the kerfuffle was two on two and sometimes three on one.

Three of the killdeer disagreeing on something.

Someone has just charged the flying bird causing it to take flight. The bird in the back right seems to be presenting.

The midair skirmishes seemed to be mostly threatening, without any actual contact.

The kerfuffle came to some conclusion I couldn’t figure out. The lady that had been presenting throughout took time for a bath and all the birds wandered off.

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heron rookery, herons, loons

Updates from the Eastons & Middletons

On July 27, 2025 - Herons, Loons, Wildlife Photography

The Eastons and Middletons are doing well. I had a couple chances to visit the Eastons and one opportunity to visit the Middletons.

This will be my last post until mid-August. I’ll be at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair at the Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, NH Saturday August 2 through Sunday August 10. The Fair is open 10-5 daily. My 2026 calendars are scheduled to arrive this Wednesday and I’ll have them at the Fair. I’ve also got new note cards and prints, along with some favorites from past years. I’m in booth 718, please come by and take a look. If you can’t make it to the Fair, you can purchase my work through my web site at www.IanClark.com. All the details about the Fair are on the League’s site and you can buy your tickets at a discount online here.

Ian Clark's 2026 wildlife photography wall calendar — My 2026 Wildlife Calendar, with large 9″x12″ full color, 12-month calendar with 13 of my favorite wildlife images.

There are a few more of the images I’ll have at the Fair at the bottom of the post. On to the loons….

On July 22, the Eastons’ pond was a pleasant 48° and foggy when I put the boat in.

My buddy Hank Heron was on a pile of rocks near the boat launch to greet visitors.

The Eastons were having a calm morning, foraging lazily.

With time to sit and contemplate whatever it is loons contemplate.

Baby Easton – Leaston – spent much of the morning on dad’s back.

Sometimes snoozing, sometimes stretching. And occasionally reminding dad that loon chicks really love food.

Mom and dad set to work to deliver breakfast. Dad scored a horned pout larger than Leaston.

And swam by the boat to show off his catch.

Leaston was willing to give it a try. Dad sat by watching closely, ready to grab the fish if it slipped away.

Leaston dropped the fish, both mom and dad were ready to recover it. Mom did and gave it back to Leaston.

Leaston gave it another try before dropping it again.

Dad had been at the ready and quickly recaptured the fish. He handed it back to Leaston. Who promptly dropped it again.

Dad figured out that meals have to be smaller than the chick and ate the fish himself.

The parents went back to finding chick-sized meals and that worked much better.

With both parents underwater, Leaston reacted to a threat I couldn’t see. Loon chicks’ defense is to flatten out on the water to make it hard to see them.

The threat soon appeared – an intruding loon coming in for a landing. The last two times I visited, there had been fairly intense skirmishes with an intruder before the intruder was forced off the pond.

In the previous skirmishes, dad had gone to fight off the intruder. Studies of banded birds suggest that most territorial fights are between loons of the same sex. This time mom went out to challenge the intruder. A different intruder? Mom was closer to the intruder when he landed and dad was closer to the chick. Maybe they were just being practical and let the closest loon handle it. Either way, there was a brief period of displaying before the intruder departed.

Mom took a victory stretch when the intruder was gone, then headed back to join the family.

As the chicks grow, you can often see that they’re watching their parents and copying the parent’s behavior – good practice for how to be an adult loon. Here dad and Leaston share a leg stretch.

Or maybe they were just waving goodbye as I gave them best wishes and headed for home.

The next morning dawned with clear skies above home, with fog down in the Valley. I headed down to visit the Middletons, hoping the fog would lift.

No such luck. The fog stayed thick.

The Middletons spent about half an hour foraging in their favorite breakfast cove. Without appearing to catch anything. At least nothing they surfaced with. The parents seemed to get agitated at the lack of success. When loons are foraging, they usually dive and surface gracefully, not making much of a splash. When they’re agitated as when there’s an intruder, they dive more aggressively with large splashes. This morning as they foraged, they started kicking up large splashes.

Mrs. Middleton swam close by my boat. I could see her coming and had a chance to get my GoPro in place. The bubbling sound is air bubbling out of my cheap selfie stick.

The fog lifted enough that dragonflies came out to forage. And the kingbirds came out to hunt the dragonflies.

I gave up and headed home. Along the way back to the boat launch, I passed a very optimistic turtle trying to bask. All those black spots on the water are water bugs.

Yesterday morning, my wife joined me as we headed back to check on the Eastons.

The Loon Preservation Committee had invited me to accompany them to band Mrs. Easton on Thursday evening. I couldn’t make it and was curious to see if they’d been successful catching and banding her.

Hank Heron was again awaiting sunup on some rocks where the sun would first hit the pond. We spooked him and he flew off to a spot along the shore.

It took a little while to locate the loons at the far end of the pond through the fog. Dad gave their location away by stretching.

Just after stretching, dad dove. I assumed he’d gone downstairs to find some breakfast. But soon there was fast moving wake headed my way. Dad was just under the surface and making good time.

He surfaced just behind me, keeping low to stalk something. He dove again and again surfaced keeping low. I couldn’t see what he was after.

After dad dove again, Hank squawked and came flying down the pond. Dad had come up in the shallows at his feet, encouraging him to move along. This is the first time I’ve seen loons go after a heron. I’ve occasionally wondered how they tolerate herons nearby when the chicks are young.

Hank eventually settled on the sunny side of the pond.

And set about getting some breakfast. The loons didn’t bother him again while we were there.

We caught up with the loon family. Mom soon showed us she is indeed wearing some LPC bling.

The Loon Preservation Committee manages to band something like 30 loons every summer. With a population of roughly 750 loons in New Hampshire, they’re getting a sizeable portion of the population banded. That lets them study things like how many of the loon pairs stay together year after year, how old the loons are when they’re observed doing things like nesting. There’s lots to be learned from LPC’s work.

Mom delivering a crayfish for breakfast as dad looks on.

Mom gave a nice stretch as we headed out.

And a few more of the images I’ll be exhibiting at the League Fair:

Wing Low, Sweet Chariot This is an intruder that has shown up regularly on the Middleton’s pond this year. I suspect she’s the female that was keeping company with Mr. Middleton early in the year before Mrs. M returned. Mrs. M has just chased this loon off the pond and this loon is almost airborne.

Seen But Not Herd

A pair of Guernsey cows greet visitors to their pasture.

First Light at Portland Head The first light of dawn breaks over the Portland Head Light on Cape Elizabeth, ME. The light is on the headland at the entrance to Portland Harbor in Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. The light was commissioned by George Washington and was completed and put in service in 1791 making it Maine’s Oldest lighthouse.

A Tranquil Morning

A favorite from past years. This is dad Easton resting with the chicks as the sun rises over their pond. This image is offered in a limited edition of 12 prints.

There Are No Owls Here

A great gray owl shows off his camouflage against a tree. Great grays are rare visitors to New England, this one visited Newbury, VT in 2018.

Sunrise at Dead Creek There’s a nice reflection on a poll in Dead Creek as the sun rises in Addison, VT

I’ll have lots more images along at the fair, including lots of loons. Come have a look.

birds, herons, loons, new hampshire wildlife

Looking Back at the Herons

On November 1, 2024 - Herons, Wildlife Photography

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.

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.

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.

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.

Waiting for the sun on a chilly October morning.

And my favorite heron shot from this year.

birds, great blue heron, herons