Hey Goldie .. gimme the mouse and keyboard a minute ... PLEASE? PRETTY PLEASE? TREAT? TREATS??? WHAT -- NO NO ... NOT the car keys Goldie ... Uhhhhnnhhh ... Whew, there, got 'em ...
Near us is a many acre stand of fir, alder and maple trees and it is totally infested with Heron Nests .... it is a heronry and probably the largest in all the Western US of A. Every winter the local Land Trust - which owns much of the heronry land - takes a small team into the heronry to count the nests and record conditions and flag the trees. I have gone for three years now, an amazing experience. Today was the day for this year!
First of all, you can't go into a heronry like this except in the winter -- too much underbrush, berries, and nettles. Second, it is not at all a marked route, so few, if any, other people know about it or how to get in there. Thirdly you need permission since it is on private land!
Also, in the spring-summer-fall there is so much foliage that the nests are hard to see, and so a sight like the picture above is pretty rarely seen.
Last year we counted over 500 nests and there were many more this year. Of the 150 or so tagged trees, maybe 10 were no longer being used for nesting at all anymore, but 15 or more new ones had nests in them this year. It must have been a good year for the birds. There is a LOT of open water, shorelines, ponds, ditches, and fields for them to feed.
Can you imagine being in there when all the babies are hatched and squawking for food ???
OUCH .. GOLDIE - you stinker .. here, take your stupid old mouse and keyboard back ...
bite me will you .. hmpfff ...
7 comments:
Whoa! At my old house we used to see one lone great heron! Pretty cool to have so many!
(I don't supposed any is going to tell Goldie you can't use proper names right?)
Not me, that's for sure!
It would be wonderful to see a heronry like that!
Goldie is so fluffy, unbelievably so!
Yea Goldie, show 'em who's boss! :p
That's a lot of heron nests! Wish I could experience what you did today!
Now you've got me curious about where the water birds nest around here. That's so cool you've got a big heronry nearby.
Sounds like Goldie is getting a little big for her britches!
We've got a few herons, but I've never thought about where they live. I'm thinking counting all those nests is a good way to get a stiff neck.
LOL Goldie is a pistol! Those nests are amazing
Your post on my blog made me laugh... cooper is definitely not a skunk!
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