Post-Breeding Egrets and Herons

     Today, July 25, 2015, I went to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area to experience whatever wildlife was noticable.  Among other bird species, I saw a few each of great egrets and great blue herons fishing from various impoundments during the hour and a half I was there.  And, more importantly, they reminded me that many post-breeding great egrets and great blue herons are in the Middle Atlantic States from late July into September, and later at times, to hunt fish, frogs, tadpoles and other aquatic prey.  Some great blues over-winter here as well, as long as there is open water to fish from. 
     Great egrets raise young in scattered colonies along the Atlantic Coast from Delaware south, the Gulf Coast and inland up the Mississippi River watershed in the United States.  They winter along the Gulf Coast, in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the islands of the Caribbean Sea.  Great blue herons have breeding colonies throughout much of the United States and winter in much of the United States, Mexico and Central America.
     When finished rearing offspring, great egrets and great blue herons scatter across the country to find good fishing areas.  Then we see many of both species here in the Mid-Atlantic States.  We see scores of them along the Susquehanna River, especially on the Conejohela Flats offshore from Washington Boro, scores along the Delaware River, many at Middle Creek Area's lake and many others at creeks and impoundments throughout this area.             
     Because they are large, the stately great egrets and great blue herons are often readily seen by even casual observers of nature.  With their long legs to wade in shallow water to catch prey and their lengthy necks and beaks, the white egrets stand almost four feet tall and the light-gray great blues are over four feet.  And they appear huge when in flight.  To me, great blues fly and soar majestically and the flight of the smaller, slimmer egrets is elegant.
      The magnificent egrets and herons stalk aquatic prey by wading slowly and carefully through shallow water on their long legs and watching the water intently for unwary or handicapped fish that are easy to catch.  Egrets and herons also have lengthy toes that work like snowshoes so they don't sink and get stuck in mud under the water.
     When a victim is spotted, each of these long-necked birds swings out its lengthy beak to catch it, often with success.  Where the fishing is good, these members of the heron family will stay for days, even weeks.  And both these species are territorial, chasing others of their own kinds away from fishing territories with swift, direct flight and raucous calls, all of which mean business. 
     Interestingly, these big members of the heron family also catch meadow voles where they can.  Voles are a larger kind of mice that live in pastures, fields and roadsides in agricultural areas.  Some of the great egrets and great blue herons leave meadow streams and stalk mice among the grass.  When they snare voles, the egrets and herons quickly kill those furry victims so they can't escape, then dunk them several times in a nearby body of water to slick their fur so they can swallow them whole and head-first more easily.
     There was a time, over a hundred years ago, when great egrets were intensely hunted and killed for their elegant breeding plumes that grow from their backs.  As one might guess, they were killed during the breeding season, which wiped out many adults and young birds every year.  In the early 1900's, the National Audubon Society was born to protect great egrets and other kinds of birds and other wildlife as well.  Today great egrets are fairly common again because of that protection. 
     Watch for great egrets and great blue herons fishing around waterways and impoundments during late July, August and September each year.  They are beautiful, stately birds that are intriguing to watch stalking aquatic prey or mice.