The Great Blue Heron, with their long, slender legs, are usually found wading in lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, swamps, and other similar environments.  Did you ever wonder where they nested?  Where do they raise their family?  Did you ever see a baby Great Blue Heron?  I usually see the adults that stand 38 inches tall with a wingspan of 70 inches.

The focus of this photo blog entry is where the Great Blue Heron raises its family.  To begin, I will tell you they nest off the ground in tall trees usually surrounded by water as remote or inaccessible as possible.  So it is not unusual to see a Great Blue Heron perched on the tallest branch of the tallest tree, watching the terrain below.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

They nest in a stick built platform usually 25 to 40 inches in diameter. With one family per nest, they nest in colonies and among the nests of other herons, usually, in the same tree.  This grouping of nests is referred to as a rookery.  The more appropriate name is heronry and some heronries can contain 100 nests. 

With the leaves growing rapidly, some of the nests, like the one below, are quickly becoming camouflaged.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

Most of the time, only one Great Blue Heron is on the nest.  You can find the mate either fishing, or perched in a nearby tree.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

Even though there was rather crowded surroundings, there were a few nests with baby herons visible. 

Have you ever noticed the long feathers on the breast of the heron?  They are referred to as "powder down".  Powder down feathers grow continually and herons, using a fringed claw on their middle toe, use those feathers like a washcloth to remove fish slime and other oils when they preen.  They protect their feathers from the oils of swamps and fish by applying powder to their underparts.  The powder is also applied to fish it caught causing the fish slime and oils to clump and the herons can simply brush it off with their foot.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

Although some of the young were beginning to get fairly large, it was apparent that some of the eggs still haven't hatched or the babies are so young they still need the warmth of a parent.  The female lays 3 to 6 pale bluish-green unmarked eggs.  Both parents share in incubation which takes 28 days.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

Just like a family, both parents feed the young, which are ready to fledge in about three weeks.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

When the babies are resting, it is a good time for the parent to get a little rest too.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

Just like humans, that rest doesn't last long. 

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

If you get to watch a rookery, do so for about 2 or 3 hours.  It is interesting to observe the habits of these majestic birds.  Although it may seem a little boring to watch all the herons sitting on the nest, not really doing anything, sometimes the mates will begin to fly around, which reminds me of a scene out of a Jurassic Park movie.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

Herons have several predators that may try to rob the nest but few dare to confront a full-grown Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

This photo blog post began with a Great Blue Heron seemingly staring over their valley.  We'll end it with a similar photo on the same limb.

Great Blue HeronRookery, nesting colony

I have to add that although it looks like I'm close to the Herons at this rookery, I was shooting from a distance of approximately 140 yards.  Thanks to the 1.6 crop factor of the Canon 7D MK II, 600mm lens equipped with a 1.4 extender, and a sturdy tripod, I didn't need to be close and risk endangering the wildlife.

Thanks for looking,

Dan