Blue Heron Seen Regularly at the Dry Tortugas

For those of you coming out to see our beautiful birds, you will not be disappointed. The lovely Blue Heron is our favorite bird of the week. Several were spotted on the island this week enjoying their schools of bait around the fort. One of our birders got a beautiful profile shot of one of the Little Blue Herons. These little guys seem to be thriving at the Dry Tortugas National Park, as well as keeping our Great Blue Herons company.

The largest heron in North America, the familiar Great Blue Heron, has a very long neck and long legs with chestnut and black accents on its slate-gray body. When in flight, it looks huge with its six-foot wingspan. The adult has a sort of bushy-looking collar with a black eyebrow extending back to its black plumes on its head. The juvenile sports a dark crown and no plumes. The graceful Great Blue Heron usually keeps its neck bent and head inward toward its body when in flight.

Found in a vast variety of habitats, the Blue Heron is resilient and widespread. This bird inhabits shallow bays and inlets, wet meadows, marshes, and the shores of rivers and lakes. While foraging, this heron will quietly stand along lake shores, riverbanks, or in wet meadows, patiently awaiting its prey to come along. It will stalk prey deliberately and slowly and attack with its bill. Mostly hunting by day, the Blue Heron will occasionally be active at night. Since their diet is so diverse, the Blue Heron is able to utilize many different habitats. This flexibility enables this heron to winter further north than most other herons. Potential prey of the Blue Heron includes small mammals, fish, reptiles, vertebrates, amphibians, and even other birds.

The Blue Heron prefers breeding in larger colonies. Starting in February, the nest building begins when the male selects a nesting area and proceeds to attract a female. Usually the nest is situated up high in a tree. Sticks are gathered by the male who, in turn, gives them to the female who constructs them into a platform nest, lining the nest with bark strips, conifer needles, and small twigs. Incubation is performed by both parents usually for 25 to 29 days. When the young is around 60 days old, it can fly, but continues to return to the nest for food for a few more weeks. Each year, adults form new bonds, as the pair bonding only lasts during the nesting season.

To get a peek at these beautiful creatures, come on out to the Dry Tortugas. It will be worth your while.