Maine Heron Observation Network
2013 Heron Observation Network Photos from the Field
To celebrate the Heron Observation Network's fifth year, I put together a collection of Photos from the Field, taken by myself, co-workers, and some very talented HERON volunteers. Many THANKS to all the HERON volunteers who monitored colonies, and to the landowners that allowed access. Here's to another exciting year ahead of us! Happy 2014! http://youtu.be/GW31bH30grM
Fall Colony Visit
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="390"] Photo by Doug Albert.[/caption] The great blue heron nesting season went by as quick as a flash this year. Fall is when I collect all the HERON volunteers’ data and enter it into the database to get an idea of how the season went for herons (which I will blog about at a later date). It is also a great
Painting a Picture from the 2012 Results
[caption id="attachment_1010" align="alignleft" width="240"] Adult great blue heron in flight over a nest with five young.
Forestry and Herons Can and Do Mix
The following article was originally written for the October 2012 issue of "SWOAM News", the newsletter of the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine: [caption id="attachment_978" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Sale of New HERON Sticker Will Fuel 2015 Aerial Survey
[caption id="attachment_960" align="alignleft" width="250"] This is what the new HERON sticker looks like![/caption] I am really excited to announce that the Heron Observation Network of Maine (HERON) is partnering with
National Audubon’s Island Jewel is Maine’s Most Diverse Heronry
[caption id="attachment_905" align="alignleft" width="225"] Snowy egrets perched in apple trees.[/caption] This past May, I had the unique opportunity to assist National A
How Herons Handle the Heat
We’ve had some hot sultry days this summer, and if you were smart you retreated to a shady spot or went for a swim at a nearby pond. But what about all those great blue heron nestlings that were sitting in their nests 20-100 feet up in a tree, often in full sun? Sure, their nest tree may be surrounded by water if it is a snag in a beaver flowage, but that water is completely inaccessible to a nestling who takes around 80 days to learn how to fly. How do they keep cool on those 90+ degree days? Like humans, birds rely on evaporative cooling to release heat; however, birds do not have swea
Herons Return to Colony Despite Nesting Owls
Last Wednesday I took to the field to check out a great blue heron colony that I have only seen once during an aerial survey in 2009. Since then, a volunteer has been monitoring the colony on the ground. I finally made personal contact with the landowners this
HERON Volunteers Can Help With Research on Great Blue Heron Productivity
[caption id="attachment_832" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Molly Meserve is a graduate student at the University of New England."][/caption] Hello, my name is Molly Meserve and I am a graduate student at the University of Ne
New York Great Blue Heron Lays An Egg
Great blue herons started arriving back in Maine over two weeks ago. The first report I received was of two birds seen near a breeding colony in Brunswick on Monday, March 12th. Despite these early arrivals, most of the state's birds don't initiate nesting until mid-April, and some as late as mid-May. In New York, it appears the great blue heron nesting season begins a bit earlier. A live webcam on a nesting pair of great blue herons at the
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