Thanks Bill

nn1701 Earl Plato

No, we didn’t make it to Florida this year but Bill Morkem of Ridgeway did. Bill presented me with some nature pamphlets. That was all it took to reminisce about certain nature spots in the Sunshine state.
Most of our nature rambles have been on the Gulf side of the state. Bill’s travel south took them to the east side. Cape kennedy or Cape Canaveral are one and the same. Have you been to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge?
Memories began to flow. The Refuge is located just east of Titusville and shares a common boundary with the John F. Kennedy Space Center (Centre). Why a refuge here? Bill’s pamphlet cites these reasons -coastal location, tropic-like climate, and a wide variety of habitats. I walked this area in the ‘80’s and was impressed with the variety of bird species. We read “to date, 310 species have been identified on the refuge.”
I recall seeing bald eagles there and was enthralled with their size and beauty. They are there today on Merritt Island in growing numbers. Only they call them Southern bald eagles. Makes sense, eh? There are eight species of herons and egrets including the Great blue heron. I was told that they are there all year around. That’s my lead in for the blue herons in our area. Thanks Bill for the info.
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‘Bizarre?’ That’s the word John Therberge, nature scientist, uses to describe the nests and nesting places of the Great blue heron. All this winter I have had calls about seeing this great bird. In fact on a few occasions I have seen a sole bird flying in slow motion against the background of a setting sun. That picture of its flight you know. Its unhurried wing beats and long trailing legs ‘bestow upon it elegance and grace.’
Why ‘bizarre?’ Have you seen a colony of nesting Great blue herons? The closest to us was behind and east of Don Schneiders’s home on Bowen Road, Stevensville. I counted over 60 plus nests some years ago. Don said, “ A lot more than that!” He should know having lived there for so many years. Some of the larger trees have been cut down and hence many nests have disappeared. How many left? I don’t know.
Across the river in Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge east of Lockport I saw my first large Great blue heron colony called a heronry. Far across the shallow waters we viewed the heronry from the Lookout parking lot we saw a stand of dead oak trees. In front of them feeding in the shallow waters were 17 or 18 herons. Behind them the oak trees which were standing in the water contained these large nests. This was my first heronry. These nest clumps located well out on the branches give the trees a cypress-like appearance. Bizarre? I think so.
Therberge tells us that a number of these large bulky stick nests be as many as eighteen existing in one tree!
What kind of tree is ideal for a colony of herons/ We are told that they can be deciduous or coniferous, live or dead. My first colony stood out so well. The white, coloured surface of the dead oak trees and those bizarre nests are a sight I won’t forget. All trees in a heronry have one most necessary criterion - horizontal limbs for nest support.
Raccoons like to visit Great blue herons’ nests. Eggs are their quest. When a colony is located in water it makes it difficult for these predators. Not all heronaries are located in water. Locally the Schneider heronry is found away from water
George Foss and I visited the Bowen Road heronry some years ago. The odour arising from the bird filth that washed the trees and covered the ground was more present near the trees that had the most nests. What else would you expect when so many birds congregate together?
A beautiful bird, they remain a picturesque symbol of wetlands and the need for wetland conservation. Look for them this spring.
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Ken and Norma Benner of Sunset Drive, Fort Erie are long time Killdeer enthusiasts. Ken called to report on March 15 the return of their favourite bird. They have these beautiful birds nest on their property year after year. When did your killdeers return?