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Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Photo by EmilyMarino
Published on Project Noah
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39.8939, -105.112

Field Notes

Description:

The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird usually found by lake shores or open water. These two appear to be courting each other. (Another near by male was trying his best to get noticed, with no luck!)

Habitat:

A large cottonwood tree at the edge of a small pond on a golf course.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (23)
EmilyMarino
Thanks Leuba! This rookery is still there. Sadly, no herons came last year. It was very strange. I'm hoping they return this spring! This will always be a very special spotting for me.
Leuba Ridgway
Worth another look ! Lovely spotting Emily. I like pic 2 with the light through the bill - a touch of orange. I always wonder how they manage with their untidy sick nests.
EmilyMarino
Thank you wijnandr93! It was a very exciting spotting! I've never seen anything like it!
EmilyMarino
Thank you again for the kind words Birdlady! I got so very lucky with these guys. I visited them almost every day for about 3 weeks and only on this one occasion did I see them displaying like this!
KristaHerman
Awesome series Emily. They are beautiful pictures.
Ava T-B
Those entwined necks in #2 are gorgeous; I've never seen GBH doing mating displays so thanks so much for this wonderful series. Also please consider putting this spotting in the Animal Architecture mission at http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/8082378
KarenL
Absolutely stunning shots Emily! Well done!
EmilyMarino
Thanks everyone! And thank you Christy, these guys are are at the corner of 108th and Westmoor. Just west of Wadsworth up by me! They are not very fearful either. I was able to get comfortably close (for all involved) One of the males even did a fly by. He flew within a couple feet of me, realized I wasn't a threat and continued his mating display!
ChristyHolland
Emily, these are stunning!! Easily frame-able! Where were these? I absolutely love the one with the entwined necks! I love spring!!! (you should read my story on the robin I just posted! Aaaaahhhh...spring!)
Atul
lovely series!

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Birds of the World
Mission
Nests, hives, bowers, webs & other animal architecture
Mission
Rocky Mountain Wildlife Watch
Mission
Wild Love
Mission
NWF: Watch for Wildlife!
Photographed
PublishedMarch 9, 2012

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