"Heron Say, Just Don't be Bittern About It", Says Dr. Crane.

O.K. I have this thing for quirky titles.... Anyways, spring migration is long over and done. Everything has settled in making nests and raising young. The rare bird reports have dwindled to a few sightings. Now, I have a little more time to write.

Today's focus is on the large and medium sized wading birds of the heron and crane families. I'm sure many readers here have seen a few of them.... The basic difference between cranes from the herons are their necks. Herons and bitterns fly by keeping their necks retracted while cranes don't. There are 11 species of herons and bitterns that have been observed in Wisconsin. I've only seen 8 of them. Both of the species of cranes I've seen.

Starting off with the most common heron in Wisconsin, is the Great Blue Heron (picture below taken at Bong SRA 8 2 2013) Great Blue Herons can be found in most any pond, marsh, creek, bog and shoreline across the state. I've pretty much seen these graceful creatures everywhere.They'll eat most everything within striking distance including fish, frogs, snakes, small mammals and even ducklings. They build large nests high in barren trees, sometimes in colonies. These colonies are called rookeries. (There is a rookery at Nicholson Wildlife Refugee in Caledonia. It can be easily viewed from 4 Mile Rd and Nicholson).

Almost as common and often sharing the same habitat as the Great Blue Heron is the Great Egret (picture below taken at Smolenski Park in Mt. Pleasant 8 22 2012). Almost as large as a Great Blue Heron, their white, flamboyant plumage makes them a stand out in the tall reeds. General speaking, they are a bird from the South. Their range has increased over the years northward. I have been seeing them just north of Appleton, recently. Sure fire spots to see them are at Horicon Marsh, Bong and various ponds in the county. A great bird to see!

 
A close cousin of the Great Egret and a great find in Wisconsin is the Snowy Egret. Sticking closer the southern and southwestern American coastlines, they do sometimes wander inland as far as Wisconsin during migration. There are only a handful of sightings in Wisconsin, including one near Madison this spring, have been reported. This makes it a rare treat to see. I have only seen one out in California as shown in the picture below at Dana Point. (It's the little guy on the right, the other one is a Great Egret)

Another rare treat to see is a Tri-Colored Heron. Like the Snowy Egret, they are mainly found in the southern American coasts and a small handful of sightings reported here in Wisconsin, including one in Two Rivers this spring. My only sighting was at the Finday Rd VPA in Jefferson County near Whitewater.on 6 22 2013 (see picture below) I found about this guy through my eBird reports and made a small journey to find it. Glad I did!

Another good find is a Black Crowned Night Heron. As common as they are, they are hard to find. True to the name, these small and stocky birds spend their evenings and nights foraging on a diet of frogs, crayfish, fish, clams and small mammals. During the day, they can be found roosting in trees or hidden in the tall marsh reeds like the one I saw at Humbolt Park in Milwaukee 4 23 2014 (see picture below). I have only seen a few of these. Good places to find them are at Horicon Marsh and the Juneau Lagoon in Milwaukee.

Even more common than the Black Crowned Night Heron (and easier to find) is the Green Heron (see picture below taken at Myers Park in Racine on 5 15 2014. They can be found hidden among a tangle of branches on the marsh edges. Ever standing still and silent, they'll stake out prey of small fish and frogs. They of one of the few tool using birds in the world. They'll use a worm, a twig or a feather to lure a fish to its clutches. I have seen them at Smolenski Park, the Pike River Pathway between Hwy 20 and Spring Street and at Nicholson. They are known to breed at Trout Ponds on 4 Mile Rd.

More often heard than seen, a bird Tender Heart describes as her "nemesis", an American Bittern. This is a fun story to tell.... While driving slowly through Horicon Marsh Auto Tour & Trails, Tender Heart saw a medium sized brown bird snaking its way through the tall grass along side of the road. She stopped the car to ask me what kind of bird it that. The bird stood perfectly still to blend in the grass. It took me a second or two to see it, but I identified it as an American Bittern and handed her the camera (see picture below). That is the defense system for the bittern. They are the masters of camouflage! When threatened, they'll lift their heads up and stand still to fool one in thinking its a part of the surrounding tall reeds. When Tender Heart put the car in drive it resumed its stalking through the tall grass... Cool, huh? Since then Tender Heart has been searching high and low for another one. We have heard them at Bong and Horicon since them.

 

Much more easier find and much more common than the American Bittern is the Sandhill Crane (see picture below taken at Tichigan SWA 6 3 2012). Tender Heart and I often see these tall and graceful birds foraging in many farm fields and marshy areas all over the state.They are quite easy to spot from the road. They are known to form large flocks in the fall in preparation for migration. The best spots to find them are at Horicon Marsh and at Bong SRA.

The Holy Grail of findings is the close relative of the Sandhill Crane, the elegant and endangered Whooping Crane.If one is extremely lucky, they may find one of these rarities in a flock of Sandhills. Fewer than 600 Whooping Cranes remain in the wild. Up from 15 individual birds in the 1940's, tireless conservation efforts have reintroduced them to Necedah NWR and Horicon Marsh where they have bred successfully. The process is slow moving, many threats still remain. Accidental shootings (Sandhill Cranes are considered a game bird in some places), collisions with power lines, and Black Flies (during nesting season) poses some problems. Many observers have confused Whooping Cranes with Sandhill Cranes and Great Egrets. The Whooping Crane is the tallest bird in North America, white with a red cap. Sandhills are brown while the Great Egrets are smaller with NO red cap. Another great identifying mark is nearly ALL of the Whooping Cranes have leg bands and/or radio transmitters on their legs. Tender Heart and I were elated and lucky to see one at Horicon Marsh on May 17 2014 (see picture below)

I know it's a long blog, but with an amazing spring migration taking much of my time, I'd thought I'd bring readers up to speed of my latest sightings. That is, till fall migration....