Great Blue Heron

Few Portland area wild bird lovers are unfamiliar with the dramatic silhouette and raucous honking of the Great Blue Heron. Its four-foot height and six-foot wingspan make it one of the largest birds around.

 

by David Lukas

Great Blue Herons are a common sight in the Portland area:  their tall, steely-gray forms can be observed along riverbanks and wetlands, and they are frequently seen flying overhead.  It is appropriate that such a majestic being is Portland’s city bird, for its presence inspires us to protect healthy waterways.

Known for its infinitely patient hunting technique, it is common to find a Great Blue Heron staring intently into some water.  Human observers often tire of watching the heron before it actually moves, and thus may miss seeing it spear or grab a fish, frog, snake, small mammal, large insect, or a crayfish with its strong, javelin-like bill.

Most of the time herons seem to be solitary birds, so it is perhaps surprising to learn that they nest in dense colonies.  While many of their ancestral nesting trees in the West Hills and along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers have been cleared, there are still a few sizeable colonies in our area.  Nesting sites at West Delta Park and Ross Island support about 75 pairs of birds combined, while a large colony near Vancouver Lake hosts about 300 nests.

The whole process of building their bulky nests can be comical:  the male’s best efforts to break off and struggle back to the nest with an unwieldy stick may be rewarded by the female rejecting it and casting the stick to the ground!  Both parents tend to the three to seven eggs which take about a month to hatch, and both care for the young who leave the nest in early summer.
Protecting nesting and feeding areas in the Portland metro will ensure our children’s ability to enjoy these beautiful birds as we can today.

Editor’s Note:  Each year since Portland’s City Council adopted the Great Blue Heron as the official city bird in 1986, the city and our metropolitan region have recognized the heron as a graceful, majestic symbol of the region’s commitment to maintaining access to nature in the heart of the city.  Audubon Society of Portland organizes Great Blue Heron Week each year, typically in late May or early June.  They fill the week with trips and events highlighting our area’s successes, and challenges,  in creating an ecologically sustainable metropolitan region.  As the time nears, be sure to check Audubon Society of Portland’s website for details of this year’s events.