[birdky] Re: bizarre heron behavior
- From: Shawchyi.Vorisek@xxxxxx
- To: birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 09:17:40 -0400
Steve,
I don't think this is bizarre at all. This is why we encourage folks to
leave nesting sites (ie. rookeries) alone during the breeding season. The
young obviously were not ready to leave the nest and could not yet fly. By
being there, your friend inadvertently alarmed the rookery, and during the
excitement, the young fell out of their nests plunging to their deaths.
This is similar to what would happen if you went up to a robin nest with
young close to fledging - they startle and often flutter out of the nest and
hopefully land on a nearby branch. However, with these herons, they had
nowhere to go but down into the water since they couldn't fly yet. Because
of this, we really discourage folks from going near active nests of all
native species. You may want to encourage your friend to canoe the area
during the off-breeding months.
Shawchyi Vorisek
Avian Ecologist/Wildlife Diversity Program
KY Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources
#1 Game Farm Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502)564-5448 Ext. 368
shawchyi.vorisek@xxxxxx
http://www.kdfwr.state.ky.us/
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-----Original Message-----
From: Kistlers [mailto:kistlers@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 6:47 PM
To: Bird line
Subject: [birdky] bizarre heron behavior
This is a third hand report from a friend of a friend:
A woman and her young son were canoeing on the Nolin River recently when
they passed a small great blue heron rookery which has been known for
several years. This is a little-used stretch of river, due to the fact that
private landowners have gone to great lengths to blcok access to boaters.
It's hard to find a spot to even launch a kayak. When they passed the
rookery, the young boy cried out loudly in excitement. What happened next is
very strange: the birds started to panic and worked themselves into a
frenzy. The adults then pushed the baby birds out of the nest into the
river, where they drowned. The canoers were completely horrified. My friend
says that she is entirely trustworthy.
Has anyone heard of such strange behavior ? The whole thing seems
unbelievable.
Steve Kistler
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