This evening there were at least 31 Great Egrets gathered in field on the
south side of Melrose Road between the South Umpqua River and Old Melrose
Rd. I have in the past seen egrets here, but not this many. Also, as the
year progresses, most egrets usually leave sometime in February, with a
rare few into March. By April they are usually gone to breeding areas.
The interesting thing, though, is that the species has been expanding its
breeding range, and over the last few years new colonies have been found in
the Umpqua and Siuslaw river estuaries, and I suspect that very soon we
will find a colony here in the interior Umpqua Valleys. Maybe this year!
To watch for a new colony: (1) keep an eye on egrets that hang out at
fields/ponds/rivers through February and later. If there are some into
March and April, stake out a watch on these and see where they go after
feeding for a while. It may take several attempts to find their final
destination. (2) Check known Great Blue Heron nesting colonies. There is
one across the river from RUSA visible from Old Melrose Rd, another on
Lower Garden Valley Rd (near Cleveland Rapids), and I think one down in
Canyonville somewhere. (3) If you see a big white bird in a tree, and it
turns out to be an egret, see if there is a nest, or if it is just
roosting.
Matt Hunter
Melrose
