Heronry

Quite by accident today I discovered a Blue Heron rookery. Surprised to see two herons flying tandem across the road, one of them looking much too large, I slowed down to look. The second heron was carrying a 4 ft. branch in its beak. They're nesting, I thought. And just as I passed the gap in the woods where they'd flown, I saw the nests. I came back later to look again, and this time, I had to creep along the shoulder before I got the perfect view into the rookery. In a few weeks, when the trees by the road have leafed out, you won't be able to see the nests. But now, if you know where to look, there's a perfect view of a dozen huge nests in the tops of dead trees, each with a sentinal Blue Heron.

I did take photos with my ultrazoom, and can see nests and birds because I know they were there. To anyone else, they'd just look like bare trees. I wonder how long this rookery has been here. I've driven this road every single day for almost 30 years, and walk in the nearby park every week. And I've never seen these nests before today. The herons chose their site well.