Heron Habitat Helpers

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Wildlife in the City Week – April 15-21, 2018

March 25, 2018 By Marla Master

Heron Habitat Helpers is proud to be part of Wildlife in the City Week!

Join us on Saturday April 21 to learn more about our neighbors – the great blue heron!

We’ll have an information table set up at the Discovery Park Learning Center from 1:00 – 5:00 pm with a craft activity and more…

And, we’ll have telescopes at Commodore Park with our naturalists on hand to answer questions from 2:00 – 4:00 pm!

Learn more about other great events during Wildlife in the City Week April 15-21, 2018

http://seattlewildlifeweek.org

Photo of heron courtship by Kathleen Atkins

Filed Under: BLOG, Herons, Nesting

Male Herons Begin the Breeding Season

January 28, 2017 By Debbie Jacobsen

Hunched like fishermen gathered outside on a wintry day, six great blue herons recently stood on the abandoned fuel dock east of Commodore Park in Magnolia. Perhaps they discussed the upcoming fishing season, descending tides, and the art of catching fish and fowl. These herons are harbingers of 120 + herons that will hopefully breed for the 5th year next to the Ballard Locks in Seattle.

The herons gave each other space on the dock because, like fishermen, they are competitors.   Herons compete for a mate, territory, and food, and fights are common during the pre-nesting and courtship stages. Unlike some fishermen, there is no fellowship between herons beyond their mate.

Males are already flying to the 30 alder trees at Commodore Park and are choosing one of the 60 dilapidated nests.   The first males to fly to the colony can choose the safest nest from the main predator, the eagle, or choose to build a new nest. Then, slowly, females appear and check out the males and their nests.  Courtship rituals will begin which I will describe in another post.

For now, if you’d like, take your binoculars and look for herons standing (or “staging”) at the abandoned fuel dock on the Magnolia side of the Ballard Locks. You can also look for herons on top of tall trees in the Carl English Gardens, or stand under the trees at Commodore Park and look for the first males choosing nests.  See if you can find three herons in the attached photo.  

Heron monitors assist by observing and recording the nesting activity and growth of colony herons, and results are sent to WA Fish and Wildlife as well as to other interested organizations. If you are interested in volunteering as a heron monitor, please email

[email protected] and I’ll send you the job description.

Filed Under: BLOG, Herons, Nesting, News, Volunteer

Daily Life of the Commodore Park Herons

May 17, 2016 By Marla Master

As of May 15, thirty-six chicks have hatched! Some chicks look large and are already flapping their wings, and in other nests eggs are still incubating. So far eagles are flying by instead of attacking.

We have been so fortunate this season for photographers Kathleen Atkins and Aurora Santiago who have been visiting the colony regularly, documenting with their incredible photos. The images are inspiring, enlightening, and give us insight to the daily interaction of the chicks and their parents. You can see more of their photos at facebook.com/kathleen.atkins.photography  and  www.flickr.com/photos/santiagoa

Don’t miss this amazing video of VERY hungry chicks! https://flic.kr/p/Gn8v7a

Like us on Facebook for the latest images and news: www.facebook.com/HeronHabitatHelpers

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Mating Ritual – Photo by: Aurora Santiago

 

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Nesting Pair – Photo by: Aurora Santiago
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Parent and 3 Chicks – Photo by: Kathleen Atkins
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Feeding Time? – Photo by: Aurora Santiago

 

 

Filed Under: Courtship, Herons, Nesting, News, Uncategorized Tagged With: great blue heron, heron nests, Seattle

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Heron Habitat Helpers
4574 36th Avenue West
Seattle, WA  98199-1146
[email protected]

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