A Win for the Great Blue Herons! Thanks to Bainbridge Land Trust, a Decades Old Rookery in Winslow Will Continue to Thrive

This time of year, we enjoy walking down to Lovell Avenue and checking out the 25 to 30 Great Blue Heron nests high up in a rare stand of big leaf maple trees that hug the shore of Eagle Harbor.

The Great Blues have occupied this Rookery for more than two decades, battling against their archenemy – the Bald Eagle – while raising their fledglings to maturity. It’s a sight to be hold to watch these majestic birds flop around in their well-constructed nests while feeding their young, from food they acquire from the nearby shoreline.  The half-acre parcel also features wetlands, and riparian habitat essential for the ecological health of Eagle Harbor and its resilience to a continually changing climate.

The land on which the Winslow Rookery sits might have been sold for development if it weren’t for the efforts of the Bainbridge Island Land Trust, which recently purchased the property and preserved it for our fine feathered friends.

“This victory is a testament to what we can accomplish together,” said Land Trust Executive Director Cullen Brady. “Faced with the threat of development, you (the Bainbridge community) answered the call with incredible generosity, enthusiasm, and unwavering commitment. Because of your support, these magnificent birds and other wildlife will continue to thrive in a safe habitat.

“We are deeply grateful to each and every one of you—donors, volunteers, and advocates—who made this conservation success possible,” Brady added. “This truly was a community-driven effort, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

Recently, as we and others have discovered, the Great Blues have been seen returning to the rookery for their annual nesting season! You have to crane your neck to see the parents and the young ones in the nests, but you can clearly hear them cackling among themselves. It’s quite a site to see and hear nature at work.

The Great Blue Heron, which in reality looks greyer and greener in color than blue, is a large wading bird of North and Central America. It can grow to a height of 54 inches for males (females are much smaller at 38 inches) and have a wingspan of up 6.5 feet! Males also have larger beaks than females and may have some puffy plumage on the backs of their heads. If you’ve ever ventured upon one on a beach and have it suddenly fly off, you get the sense of its size, scale, and fluency. A site to behold!

According to online sites, such as egret.org, BirdFact.com and Audubon, Blue Herons can make themselves at home in practically any wetlands habitat, but what about their nests?

The big birds’ preferred habitat ranges from ponds, lakes, and rivers to urban areas and artificial reservoirs. They’re flexible with their nests, say the experts, and will nest on both the ground and in trees at heights of 90 feet or more. The nests located on Lovell Ave. are at least 100 feet above ground. The Blue’s will only nest on the ground if there are no land predators nearby, i.e., on islands in the middle of a body of water. Evidently, Bainbridge is way too urban for that approach to play out.

Herons construct their nests from medium to large twigs and line the interior with moss, leaves, grass, and other softer materials. If possible, they reuse their nesting grounds for many years and maintain them carefully throughout the breeding season.

This same behavior is what we have witnessed with the Lovell rookery. They reuse their nests year in and year out, but they don’t normally return to the nest they built, say Heron watchers. Instead, they’ll return to any nest at the breeding site and upgrade it throughout the breeding season.

The clutch size for Great Blues is two to six eggs per hatch, and a pair will usually have one or two broods per year.

Outside of our area, Blue Herons are colonial nesters, and some of the larger colonies can feature some 500 nests or more! Heron colonies are called heronries – herons that flock together close to essential feeding grounds and generally return to the same spot every year.

Typically, Blue Herons rest during the day by folding up their neck and sitting quietly in a sheltered spot. You’ve probably seen them in this position on Bainbridge beaches or marshes. At night, many herons demonstrate a bird behavior that might surprise you: sleeping in trees. Many herons sleep in trees at night, to get themselves off the ground where land dwelling predators might catch them off guard.

They normally defend their feeding territories alone, scaring away competition when necessary. Great Blues typically have access to plenty of food, which is one reason why they don’t need to share feeding territory with other herons. You’ve probably noticed this behavior, as well.

To learn more about these majestic wading birds, check out: www.egret.org, www.birdfact.com, and www.audubon.org.  Learn more about the Great Blue Heron.

Please note that this property is not currently open to the public, to ensure the safety of the nesting herons and integrity of the habitat. However, you can view most of the heron activity from Lovell Ave. Some information, plus some pictures and graphics provided by the Bainbridge Island Land Trust https://www.bi-landtrust.org/protected-space/heron/

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