The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is the largest, most common, widespread heron living in North America standing at 3 to 4.5 feet tall with a wingspan of 6 to 7 feet. Despite its size, this bird has a lightweight frame of hollow bones and weighs 5 to 6 pounds. I captured this photo at the Piney Orchard Nature Preserve before drought conditions occurred and unfortunately, there is no longer water in this spot for capturing a mirror reflection of this beautiful creature.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)
Piney Orchard Nature Preserve (2023)
The four basic needs of wildlife are:
- Space
- Food
- Water
- Shelter
Great blue herons can be found in Maryland along shorelines, riverbanks, lakes, ponds, estuaries, and the edges of marshes. They reside year-round throughout the Chesapeake Bay region, thriving in marshes and wetlands. While the overall populations of the Great Blue Heron are classified as of least concern, certain small coastal populations require attention for the protection of their colony sites. Disturbances should be avoided during the sensitive nesting period (SNP), which occurs annually from March 15th to August 1st. It is crucial to protect important feeding areas, such as shallow wetlands, and to promote healthy forest stands within and around the colonies.
Photo taken at Fort Smallwood Park
Pasadena, Maryland
Great blue herons locate their food by sight and generally swallow it whole. They feed mainly on small fish and also consume shrimp, small mammals, aquatic insects, crabs, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.
Here you can view a live Great Blue Heron's nest cam located on the eastern shore of Maryland provided by the Chesapeake Conservancy Great Blue Heron Live Cam
I'll conclude this post with the reverential words of American novelist and poet, Wendell Berry.
Photo taken at Lake Burba, Maryland
The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I awake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go down to lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the Peace of Wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Exploring the World Day-by-Day; Capturing Nature's Wondrous Display! ~ Jen
Despite the differences that exist between political, cultural, religious, or national values, we all share the common need for a healthy, clean, sustainable global environment.