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Great Blue Heron

Status Common in summer, rare in winter. Breeds. Abundant in the neighbourhood of its breeding colonies from the time of arrival in spring (average 28 March, earliest non-wintered bird on 18 March) until early August, when its young have begun to be self reliant. From then until late October, distribution is much more general and the bird is common throughout Nova Scotia. Large departures over the sea to the southwest have been observed from Seal Island and Cape Sable in late September through October. In recent years, a small but increasing number have attempted to winter, mostly in the southern parts of the province, but sometimes on Cape Breton Island. Few appear to have survived until spring.

Description Length: 107-132 cm. All plumages: Bill rather long, tapering to a sharp point. Very long legs and neck. Adults in breeding plumage: Forehead, sides of head, and throat white. Sides of crown and back of head black with slender black nape plumes. Neck mainly ashy brown with double streak of black in front. Feathers of lower foreneck narrow and much elongated. Back, wings and tail mainly slaty gray, with scapulars lengthened and plume-like. Breast and belly streaked black and white. Immatures: Similar to adults but with forehead and whole top of head bluish black; no plumes; and breast and belly streaked ash and white.

Breeding Nest: Of rude construction, composed largely of sticks with lining of coarse vegetable matter; usually placed high in deciduous or evergreen trees. One exception was that of a small colony numbering perhaps 20 pairs, located on a small rocky islet in Haley's Lake, Shelburne County, visited on 14 July 1944. The nests there were mostly in low, stunted trees, and a few were placed on the ground. Eggs: 4-7; pale blue.

Laying begins about the middle of April. On 22 May 1913 a colony at Scragg Lake, Annapolis County, comprised of about 25 pairs, was located in old-growth yellow birches. Almost all the nests were placed at the greatest height consistent with safety, among the smaller top branches at 23-25 m above ground. Eggs of well-advanced incubation were collected, one set of five and one of four. Over the edges of most nests young herons could be seen extending their long necks when the parents came in with food. A dozen or more young ones of varying stages of development were noted dead on the ground beneath the trees, apparently having fallen from their nests. Several parents came in carrying small fish held crosswise in their beaks.

About 1960, Great Blue Herons established a breeding colony on Boot Island, near the mouth of the Gaspereau River, in Kings County. The nests were placed in dense spruce woods, 3-6 m up. Some were close to the trunks, but more were saddled well out on heavy branches. On 1 July 1968 there were about 20 pairs in the colony, plus many half grown young ambling precariously about the branches close to their nests. Others were still too young to leave home. On 26 April 1970 this colony had increased markedly to approximately 40 pairs. Three nests were examined and found to contain seven, five and four eggs respectively.

Range Breeds from southeastern Alaska and across southern Canada to the Magdalen Islands and Nova Scotia, south to southern Mexico and the West Indies. Winters from southern British Columbia and the northern United States south to Central America.

Remarks The use of the erroneous name "crane" when referring to this bird is far less general here than it was two decades ago. Cranes are birds that breed in the northwest, and few have been recorded in Nova Scotia. When flying, herons invariably fold their long necks in an S formation; cranes extend theirs forward to full length.

This heron's two worst enemies are the lumberman's axe and the vandals who visit colonies during the breeding season to shoot defenseless parent birds. It is not unusual for a colony to be broken up by lumbering operations, but in most instances the birds merely re-establish themselves farther back in the forest. A man with a rifle or shotgun, however, is a more serious matter. The fact that the heron is protected throughout the year in both Canada and the United States under international treaty regulations is not much of a deterrent, because the shooting is done in remote areas where chances of apprehension are slight. Fortunately, this brutal practice has become more infrequent over the years.

The food of the Great Blue Heron is small fishes, frogs, snakes, mice and other animals.