By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor
Have you been down to the heronry and just thought, oh those
are cute but I just don’t think they have them in my size! Well, have I got news for you! Meet the latest addition to the Herons Nick
Has Spotted at the James (rhymes with stems) River Collection: the GREEN Heron!
If a GBH is a tall drink of water, then the Green Heron is a
Dixie cup. Measuring only about 17
inches in height, these little guys are not seen as often as their larger,
bluer cousins. This is largely because
they are mostly nocturnal, and when they are feeding during the day they have a
tendency to stand perfectly still while hunting.
A couple interesting facts… the GH (continuing the trend) is
considered one of only birds that fishes with bait. They will often find catch insect or other
small objects and drop them into the water.
Fish sees a delicious treat, goes to eat it, and next thing you know,
lunch! They are also able to hover
briefly to catch food. They are also
seasonally monogamous, meaning they find a mate and stick with them until next
year.
I found this little guy hanging out around Reedy Creek (up
river and across the water from the heronry) basking in all the hard work of
the hundreds of volunteers who were working to clean up his living room!
No comments:
Post a Comment