The Great Blue Heron.. Are there more of them?

Flying Great blue heron by minx267
@minx267 (15527)
Hartford, Connecticut
July 8, 2020 2:51am CST
I don't know if it's just me. but lately I see these birds flying overhead or in ponds and rivers all the time. When I was a kid.. I never saw these birds. (that was about 40 ish years ago.) But is it just that I notice them because I look for them now or are they more prolific? I certainly would have remembered seeing these giant birds when I was a kid. have you seen them more now than in years gone by or am I just crazy? This image isn't the best. but I thought it was pretty good. I stalked him for a while before getting this shot as he flew away!
8 people like this
9 responses
Kokil agarwal
@amitkokiladitya (171927)
• Agra, India
8 Jul 20
Wow... amazing and so rare birds
1 person likes this
minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
8 Jul 20
They are very amazing and SO BIG! I am often a little scared of them!
1 person likes this
minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
8 Jul 20
@amitkokiladitya yes, they are like 4 feet tall! and big feet and long beaks that they use to stab their prey with!
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Kokil agarwal
@amitkokiladitya (171927)
• Agra, India
8 Jul 20
@minx267 yes...I would also be scared for sure
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Kareng
@kareng (61740)
• United States
12 Jul 20
That is another terrific shot! We have blue herons down here in the deep south (Louisiana and Mississippi). I haven't been out on the water lately so haven't seen much of them lately. I did see a couple of cranes the other day on the way to my daughter's house.
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minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
14 Jul 20
very cool, that is one thing i really don't see here, cranes.. although there may be some near the shore.. here in the center of the state. I don't see them.
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Kareng
@kareng (61740)
• United States
18 Jul 20
@minx267 The blue herons here are usually out on the bayou or other waterways.
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minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
18 Jul 20
@kareng I guess we don't have enough of that in our small state. so inland we see them in ponds and rivers.
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Eva James
@wolfgirl569 (108128)
• Marion, Ohio
8 Jul 20
I have seen different birds here more.
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minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
14 Jul 20
very cool. I have discovered more in recent years with my camera then I had ever even noticed before. .
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DianneN
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
8 Jul 20
I hope they do return to our area. I've only seen them in upstate NY and in Florida. I think the image is beautiful!
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minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
9 Jul 20
if you have some place with ponds or slow moving rivers or coves.. I bet you can find some there!
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minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
9 Jul 20
@DianneN cool. You can usually see them standing near the edges. They hunt in the shallows.
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DianneN
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
9 Jul 20
@minx267 There is a pond across the street from me. I will watch for them.
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Fat Oreo
@fluffy69 (4955)
•
8 Jul 20
WHat a perfect shot, i hope i see it personally
1 person likes this
minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
14 Jul 20
i hope you do too! they are quite lovely, and a little intimidating because they are so tall!
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Adie
@Adie04 (17360)
•
8 Jul 20
That's a big bird there.
1 person likes this
minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
14 Jul 20
very. they are quite impressive. more so, when you see them fly over your head!
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Adie
@Adie04 (17360)
•
14 Jul 20
1 person likes this
Judy Story
@jstory07 (139974)
• Roseburg, Oregon
8 Jul 20
That is a big beautiful bird. I have never seen one.
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minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
8 Jul 20
oh wow, really? you can find them in many places there is water, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, the ocean. it's really incredible to see them flying.. they look like pterodactyls!
Juliaacv
@Juliaacv (51359)
• Canada
8 Jul 20
You must live near a nest. They have been around for a very long time, so you must just live closer to where they live now.
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minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
8 Jul 20
I only see individual birds. no nesting pairs. and i see them in lots of different bodies of water.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (342117)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Jul 20
That's a beautiful bird. We saw herons in Ireland and France but I don't know if they were great blues or not.
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minx267
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
8 Jul 20
I am learning that there are quite a few different herons. I recently photographed a Green heron and I got some white ones a couple years ago. I think there is a gray and tri color also
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