Tag Archives: great blue heron

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Great Blue Heron encounter on the Haw River in New Hill, NC

Last week, I took a birding trip to the Jordan Lake Dam in New Hill NC.
Along with the usual crew of Cormorants, gulls and Bald Eagles there were several Great Blue Herons hunting for fish in the Haw River.


It was wonderful to watch them gliding above the water low & slow like a jet. Whenever something caught their eye, they’d dive down into the water below.


I wish I was able to grab a photo of at least one bird facing me whenever they’d strike a fish, but every single Heron had its back to me that morning lol! Still, it was great fun to
photograph these magnificent birds in action.



A staple of the waterways here in North Carolina, Great Blue Herons are easily recognizable by their long graceful necks and legs and stately slate -blue plumage.
They are indeed attractive birds with those black plumes on their white head, bold black patches on their underparts, and even swatches of reddish-brown on the wings and thighs. Those dark grey flight feathers set off their bold look nicely!
As seen here in these photos, Great Blue Herons take off with their necks fully extended, but after a few wing beats they’ll pull it into that signature S shape as they fly on.


The largest and most widespread heron species in North America, Great Blue Herons are a familiar sight to many people from the mangrove swamps of Florida all the way up through Canada to the coastline of Alaska.
Here in NC, they may be found hunting for a meal at freshwater ponds, lakes, and streams all year long in all one hundred counties. Interestingly, they also feed in brackish waters, especially so at the coastal impoundments located in our eastern counties.
Aren’t they lovely?

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Great blue Heron at Umstead Park in Raleigh, NC

During a quick visit to Umstead Park in Raleigh this week, I happened to catch a quick photo of this Great Blue Heron gliding across the water.
The morning sun set the lake aglow with colors as the light reflected off of the trees along the shoreline into the water below.
It was neat to stand there in this moment taking it all in 🙂



Great Blue Herons are a familiar bird to most folks here in North Carolina. From marshes, swamps, lakes, ponds and rivers, pretty much anywhere you find water, the odds are good you’ll likely spot a Great Blue Heron hunting there.
Although they are a year round resident of the Tarheel state, there are populations of these beauties that migrate south to warmer climates during the winter.
We usually see them flying short distances between the stumps and trees, yet these birds are impressive long distance travelers too!
Last year, researchers tracked a Geo-tagged female Heron (named Harper) from Canada to Florida between October 4th and October 6th. Her epic flight path (flying non-stop!) over the Atlantic coastline took just 38 hours to complete.
Just incredible 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A great Blue Heron morning at Jordan lake

These days, I find myself getting up early to get out to Jordan Lake as the sun rises.
Though it’s mostly quiet in the wee hours, there are sounds of splashing water and the cries of gulls and Eagles searching for a meal.
It’s neat to watch the colors of the waves change as the sun comes up, the swirling blend of shadows and light is quite lovely.
Most of all, it’s just peaceful.
With all the troubles of the world at large (not to mention the impact of this damn virus on my own life ) I’m profoundly grateful get some time in someplace that feeds my soul.
Sometimes it’s good to get away and unplug for a bit, just to enjoy living in the moment.

Often on mornings like this, I’ll get to watch a Great Blue Heron hunting for fish while on the wing. They are a lot of fun to photograph!
Like a B2, they’ll glide low and slow over the water, watching for fish to come to the surface, then throwing their head and neck forward such that they impale prey with their spear-like bill. It happens in an instant and before you even realize what happened, the fish is consumed and the bird moves on to another kill.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Birdwatching News

The Migration journey of a great Blue Heron

Harper is an adult female Great Blue Heron tagged with a GPS transmitter by biologists this past May in Harpswell, Maine. She spent the summer in northern New Brunswick, Canada, and departed on her southward migration on October 3rd at 5:30pm.

She flew directly south to Saint John, New Brunswick, and rested and refueled for 13 hours before taking off for a long journey over the Atlantic Ocean. Her next landfall was on October 6th at 4:10am in Nocatee, Florida.

She flew nonstop for 38.6 hours over the open ocean! Over the last day and a half she has leisurely (for her) made her way south to DeBary, Florida.

Will she stay in Florida for the winter, or continue past the North American mainland?

To follow her movements on movebank.org (typically updated at 6pm each night), follow the instructions here: https://www1.maine.gov/wordpress/ifwheron/tracking-project/1-2/.

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Birds of a feather…

While birding at Jordan Lake on Wednesday, I found a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret hunting together.
Since Herons and Egrets are normally territorial when it comes to searching for prey, I was surprised to see these two behaving like a bonded pair.
In fact, every step that the Egret took, the Great Blue followed.
🌿
Although rare, there has been a few documented cases of Great Blue Heron and Great Egret hybridization.
Most recently one has been noted at the fishing pier at Fort De Soto Park near St. Petersburg, Florida.
Known as as a Great Blue Heron x Great Egret hybrid (Ardea herodias x alba), this unusual bird is one of a kind!
🌿
Although I certainly cannot say that the two birds featured in these pics are attempting to breed with one another, their peaceful behavior was interesting to observe.
Moments like this are a great example of why I enjoy getting outside to photograph birds.
There’s always the potential to be surprised by an unexpected encounter, and the opportunity to learn something new is often just one click away 🙂
🌿
Swipe to the second photo to get a closer look at these handsome birds…
Photo by @sally_siko

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Great Blue Heron encounter at Jordan Dam in Apex, N.C.

Few birds are as majestic on the wing as a Great Blue Heron. These birds are quite a sight in the air as they glide on by.
Great Blue Herons have a large wingspan and can fly up to 30 mph in a glide. During flight, they often seen tucking their necks into an “S” shaped curve like this one seen here.
🌿
The water and land space found at Jordan Lake Park are both necessary for these interesting birds. They hunt for fish, amphibians, insects and other small animals in the lake, and build their nests in trees, bushes or on the ground along the shoreline.
To hunt, a heron will either stand completely still and wait patiently for its prey or it will wade into the water to drive its prey out.
Sometimes, they will even dive straight down into the lake from the sky to spear the fish swimming right below the surface of the water.
Photo by @sally_siko

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A great Blue Heron encounter at Jordan Lake

While walking at the top of Jordan Lake dam in New Hill, N.C., a Great Blue Heron glided over the service road just a few feet in front of me.
He was so close that I could hear the wind breezing a soft whoosh through his feathers.
With a wingspan reaching nearly 6ft, they’re quite a sight in the air and they can cruise at about 25mph while in flight.

Photo by Sally Siko
Canon 5DS

Field Notes, Instagram Birding, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

a Great Blue Heron at jordan Lake in new hill, n.c.

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Went camping this weekend and grabbed a few bird photos at Jordan Lake Park in New Hill, N.C. and Forest Lake Campground in Lexington N.C. Although they are quite common, Great Blue Herons are still one of my favorite birds to watch around here. They’re quite the impressive sight soaring over the dam. With a wingspan of nearly 6ft, they look positively pterodactyl-like when airborne, haha! 🌿 What’s your favorite “common” bird that still brings a smile to your face whenever you see one? 🌿 3D Photo by @sally_siko Canon 5DS 200mm . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #birdingnc #bird #birds #jordanlake #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #greatblueheron #greatblueheron #birdsin3D #eastcoastbirding #hiking #nchiking #ncoutdoors #ncnature #silvercordeventphotography #silvercordphotodaily #3dphoto #ncwildlifephotographer #naturelovers #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds

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