Natural History of Great Blue Herons

Heron stalking in the shallows.

They eat fish, snakes, insects, mice, and frogs. They hunt by walking slowly through shallow water and striking at prey. They use the long, dagger-like bill to spear fish. You may see them standing motionless in the water with the head and neck folded back, waiting for prey. Herons will squawk when alarmed or startled.

I waited as the heron in the photos slowly stalked along until it was near enough for me to get photos of it. I quietly took the photos, until it heard me move and took off suddenly. It flew down the river canyon, turned and came back, saw me and squawked loudly as it flew away.

Herons have special feathers that break up into powder. These are used as a sort of powder puff to clean their feathers. The powder is rubbed into the feathers and combed out using the comb-like claw located on the middle toe of each foot.

They nest in colonies in wetlands where vegetation provides safety for the nesting site. Nests are three feet across and built in trees. They are maintained year after year. Herons will make 30-mile round trips to feeding areas.

Great blue heron on the bank of the river. This heron was looking for fish in the shallows.

Great blue heron reflected in the river's water.

The left track of a great blue heron in mud along the banks of a river. Notice the offset toe.

The perfect right track of a great blue heron in river mud. The outer toe is offset and not perfectly aligned with the midline. The webbing between toes 3 and 4 is very clear in this track.

Another great blue heron scat, with a uric stain. The scats appears a bit more solid in this example.