[Umpqua Birds] GB Herons on nests
- From: Matthew G Hunter <matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: umpquabirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 21:37:59 -0800
Hi Folks,
On Friday, Feb 21, a resident of Canyonville (I'll let him reveal himself
if he so chooses) emailed me to let me know that some of the Great Blue
Herons returned to a nest colony in that area on that day. Having been
given this tip, on my way home from my mom's place in Umpqua on Sunday I
detoured down Lower Garden Valley Road (one of the roads that goes into
Cleveland Rapids Park) to see if the herons there were back and indeed they
were; one or two birds standing on top of about 13 nests. This colony is
located in the tops of large cottonwoods along the main Umpqua River,
visible from the western third or so of Lower Garden Valley Road. It's all
private land in there, so you just have to look out your car window or find
a wide spot to pull over (there aren't many of those).
There is also a very visible colony in tall cottonwoods across the river
from Old Melrose Road just a half-mile or so from Harvard Blvd. I haven't
been by that one recently.
At the same time, the group of 5-12 Great Egrets that have been foraging in
the field on the south side of Melrose Road, just west of the S. Umpqua
River, seem to have left. This is about normal time for their departure
from here to go to their nesting areas elsewhere. I'm not aware of any
nesting egrets in Douglas County, but there are some colonies on the
southern Oregon Coast, not to mention eastern Oregon.
If any of you observe heron nests, it would be interesting to hear updates
on their progress, from presence, courtship, incubation, feeding young,
fledging, as time goes on.
Matt Hunter
Melrose, OR
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