The Great Blue Heron 



in New York State. 



Its Threatened Destruction. 



In the Bulletin of this Society in December, 1908, (Vol. IX, 

 No. l) was published an illustrated article by Mr. Ottomar 

 Reinecke upon the Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias) in the 

 State of New York calling public attention to the unfortunate 

 fact that, while forty years ago there were four colonies of these 

 birds within a radius of fifty miles from Buffalo, three of these 

 had become extinct, and the fourth threatened with destruction. 



At present the only heronry in Western New York is that 

 so interestingly described in Mr. Reinecke's article, located on 

 an island in what is called the Tonawanda Swamp at a point 

 about fifty miles northeast of Buffalo in the township of Elba 

 about half a mile south of the boundary line between Orleans 

 and Genesee Connties. The swamp extends for many miles, its 

 outlet being Oak Orchard Creek, but the territory occupied by 

 the birds is not of very large extent, being from one to four 

 miles in width. This heron colony now contains about one 

 hundred nests and if undisturbed the number would undoubtedly 

 increase. A movement has been on foot for two years to make 

 the Tonawanda Swamp a forest preserve, the first effort in that 

 interest in Western New York. This swamp district is not ma- 

 larial and in it Oak Orchard Creek and Tonawanda Creek have 

 their source and both of these streams would dry up if their 

 sources are not preserved. 



But especially should public interest be awakened in the 

 endeavor that is being made to at least preserve this last one of 

 our great heronries. This is the only remaining nesting place of 

 these beautiful and remarkable birds within the borders of our 

 Empire State. Within the period of a single generation all the 



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