The Flickr Greatblueherons Image Generatr

The image on the left is of less than 1 week old Great Blue Heron Chicks. The chicks are barely visible at the front of the nest near the nearest parent's legs, downy heads and some of the chick eyes can be seen.

The second image is one month later and they stand nearly as tall as the parent who is feeding the chicks (the chick on the right has a bit of bloody red morsel hanging on it's beak. It will be another month before they are ready to fledge.

Seen at Almaden Lake, San Jose, California.

DSC08666-050725 & DSC02632-060425

"Great Blue Heron"

Blue Heron Fly By

Great Blue Heron.

Between 39 to 52 inches long with a wingspan of around 5 feet 10 inches. A common, large mainly grayish heron with a pale or yellowish colored bill. It is often mistaken for a Sandhill Crane but flies with its neck folded and not extended like the Sandhill Crane. In southern Florida an all-white form, the "Great White Heron", differs from the Great Egret in that they are larger with greenish-yellow legs rather than the black legs of the Great Blue Heron.

Their habitat includes lakes, ponds, rivers and marshes.

They breed locally from coastal Alaska, south-central Canada and Nova Scotia south to Mexico and the West Indies. Winters as far north as southern Alaska, central United States and southern New England. Also in the Galapagos Islands.

Kensington Metropark, Livingston County, Michigan.

Day 136/365

When a great blue heron adult returns to its nest after feeding, the juveniles attack it, grabbing its beak and vocalizing. This encourages it to go through the gyrations necessary to bring fish up out of its stomach and up that long neck. It can't be particularly pleasant for the heron, but it allows the juveniles to eat fish that have been partially digested, and presumably are a bit easier on their own throats.

The smallest chick can be seen between the two larger ones, just above the nest.

I think these are the males guarding the nest with mom hunkered down in the nest.

I think these are the males guarding the nest with mom hunkered down in the nest.

Public beach south of Witty's Lagoon, Metchosin, BC, Canada

Great Blue Heron Taking Flight - Birch Bay WA

Great Blue Heron - Birch Bay, WA

Great Blue Heron - Birch Bay, WA

Great Blue Heron.

Between 39 to 52 inches long with a wingspan of around 5 feet 10 inches. A common, large mainly grayish heron with a pale or yellowish colored bill. It is often mistaken for a Sandhill Crane but flies with its neck folded and not extended like the Sandhill Crane. In southern Florida an all-white form, the "Great White Heron", differs from the Great Egret in that they are larger with greenish-yellow legs rather than the black legs of the Great Blue Heron.

Their habitat includes lakes, ponds, rivers and marshes.

They breed locally from coastal Alaska, south-central Canada and Nova Scotia south to Mexico and the West Indies. Winters as far north as southern Alaska, central United States and southern New England. Also in the Galapagos Islands.

Kensington Metropark, Livingston County, Michigan.

The Great Blue Heron ducking, has been standing guard over three chicks that hatched over the last week.

DSC09292-05092025

Great Blue Heron.

Between 39 to 52 inches long with a wingspan of around 5 feet 10 inches. A common, large mainly grayish heron with a pale or yellowish colored bill. It is often mistaken for a Sandhill Crane but flies with its neck folded and not extended like the Sandhill Crane. In southern Florida an all-white form, the "Great White Heron", differs from the Great Egret in that they are larger with greenish-yellow legs rather than the black legs of the Great Blue Heron.

Their habitat includes lakes, ponds, rivers and marshes.

They breed locally from coastal Alaska, south-central Canada and Nova Scotia south to Mexico and the West Indies. Winters as far north as southern Alaska, central United States and southern New England. Also in the Galapagos Islands.

Kensington Metropark, Livingston County, Michigan.

San Pedro Park

Day 125/365

I just missed being able to photograph a fight at this location. Had the camera not been on a tripod, I probably would have gotten the shots. I don't know what is the relationship between these two nests, but I've seen herons move from one to the other, so I don't know if one male has two females, if the two females are sisters and mostly get along, or what. I don't know many of the details of heron relationships.

Here the heron at left has just flown in, perhaps in response to the noise from the fight.

This male great blue heron was bringing nesting materials back to the nest. Although Great Blues are not monogamous, they do form strong bonds with their mate during mating/nesting season.

Great Blue Heron.

Between 39 to 52 inches long with a wingspan of around 5 feet 10 inches. A common, large mainly grayish heron with a pale or yellowish colored bill. It is often mistaken for a Sandhill Crane but flies with its neck folded and not extended like the Sandhill Crane. In southern Florida an all-white form, the "Great White Heron", differs from the Great Egret in that they are larger with greenish-yellow legs rather than the black legs of the Great Blue Heron.

Their habitat includes lakes, ponds, rivers and marshes.

They breed locally from coastal Alaska, south-central Canada and Nova Scotia south to Mexico and the West Indies. Winters as far north as southern Alaska, central United States and southern New England. Also in the Galapagos Islands.

Kensington Metropark, Livingston County, Michigan.

Video just under a minute long. I didn't manage to catch the parent landing above the nest, but did get interaction between the adults, feeding the chicks, and the second adult leaving for its break at shift change. This was a later visit to the nest, with slightly older chicks, than the still photos I'm uploading.