THP: OOLOGIST 



The Herons of Michigan. 



'J'liere are seven* .species of fleronS 

 kiiuwu to our slate, as I'ollow: Great 

 liluL^Ai'ilca hei'odius; Anierieau Egret. 

 Ardca egrella; Snowy, A7'clcac'()uli(/issi- 

 )na\ Green, Ardea vircsccns; Black- 

 erowned Night Nyvtiforax nycticorax 

 ua'vius,Amtx'H-iin Bitterni)'o^«?//?/.s leng- 

 ligi7wsn.-i, and Least Bittein. Ardetta 

 t.filis. 



GHEAr HLUE HEIJON. 



This is our eoninionest species and is 

 very generally distributed, being found 

 throughout nearly the entire length and 

 breadth of our state and in both penin- 

 suhis. It is not affected by civilization 

 to any great extent, although of necess- 

 ity a bird of thi.s size shuns too well 

 peopled sections. It is not a recluse 

 and yet it is often found feeding in 

 <jnarters far removed from the habita- 

 tions of man. Where tish are found 

 plentiful in lake or stream there the (it. 

 lilue Heron, or Crane, as it is often anil 

 improperly called, will also be found. 

 I have found it In'eeding in several col- 

 onies or heronries as these gatherings 

 of nests are called. These nesting sites 

 ure ahvas chosen far from the habita- 

 tions of man, as till- liirds prefer isola- 

 tion during the Holing .season, though 

 often found fishing in the neighborhood 

 of thickly settled quarters. After a 

 nesting site isselei-ted howevei", it is ex- 

 ceedingly diflieidt to drive tlie birds 

 from it, and the herons will continue to 

 build and I'ear their young in the face 

 of extreme perseeiil ion. It is only af- 

 ter long and continued suffering that the 

 Herons of this species will vacate a 

 heronry and seek otiier quarters. I know 

 of two craneries which have been so de- 

 serted, and the bulky nests, gradually 



•some lists embrace two ot,liers and even three 

 «tlifT spfcles have heen fi'i;,'£fHSt(;d. Eauiiirli 

 proof to convince me tliit llie'Mitle Bill", l.ouUl- 

 una iUirl ^ ello.v-cro 'iihiI Nlii'lit Herons ule 

 -nicUUiA" hirds, has not yet Oeeii rtdduce 1. 



wearing away, remain lor many years as 

 an evidence of a former Crane village. 

 I have visited heronries of this species 

 which embraced only thirteen nests in 

 live trees, and again have seen as nuiu^' 

 as two hu nil red nests, new and old, in 

 one group. It is more c >mmon I imag- 

 ine to liud these huge villages than the 

 small ones, if the birds are not disturb- 

 ed. Information has reached me of 

 some immense heronries of a thousand 

 nests, but I have never seen one of them 

 I have visited villages in Van Buren St. 

 Joseph, Barry, and Ottawa counties, 

 and at present there is evidence that 

 the birds formerly colonized in Kalama- 

 zoo county within a few miles of a pop- 

 ulous cit3'. 



The nests, huge, bulky structures, 

 are invariably placed in the up- 

 per branches of lofty trees, and 

 the syeamore, Flalanus occidentalis, is 

 most often selected, and not rarel.y an 

 entire colowy of nests is built in these 

 trees. However a few nests are gener- 

 ally placed in other trees, and I have 

 found rests in huge elms, in ash trees 

 and once in a timber oak. The number 

 of nests in one tree varies from one to 

 sixteen, yet il is unusual to find a sin- 

 gle nest or more than ten, while the us- 

 ual number in a fair-sized herony is six 

 or seven. The average height at which 

 they are placed in the s^'camore is sev- 

 enty feet. The nearest to the ground 

 l)eing rather over fifty feef, while the 

 highest was quite ninety feet up. 



To .secure the eggs is a skillful matter 

 not unattended with danger, for the 

 great trunks of the sycamore often as- 

 cend lifty feet without a limb and are 

 nearly as smooth as a board The work 

 of crimi)iiig out to the nests on the long 

 smooth limbs, is not the least p.irt of 

 the undertaking. The limbs twenty or 

 thirty feet in length, and exceedingly 

 uncertain footing, even for the mostex- 

 jjcrt climber Willi the sharpest of spurs 

 are covered wii II the limey excrement 

 of thtM)ird<, which renders them doui)- 



