This afternoon at 3 pm, two herons were sitting on a nest at the edge of the clearing that has been made for the new road. With the leaves down, four nests can be seen from the end of the paved road, and it was the closest nest that was occupied.
I decided to leave the area, but after I withdrew just a few yards I began to hear some great blue heron-ish squawks and croaks. Because I'd retreated, I wasn't sure where the noise was coming from, but it sounded as if it were coming from further south than the occupied nest I'd seen. No herons were visible to the south, but I'd retreated before getting a good look at the other nests that can be seen from the end of the road.
This is a very hopeful sign. Because I'd not seen any herons in a week or two, I feared that opening up the canopy caused them to abandon the old nests. But apparently not.
It would be a great outcome if development and the rookery could co-exist. Because this property sits close to the heart of the city, its development at a relatively-high density will combat sprawl. Thoughtful careful development, with effective mitigation, will with any luck result in continued occupancy of the westside rookery.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
thank you for your vigilance and for making this site available to us...
I just read all your posts and explored the links. Thanks for creating this resource. I've been watching the herons by the bridge for a couple years now. I'm really fond of them. I hope they will continue to honor us with their presence in coming decades.
Post a Comment