Maureen, fellow tweetsters,

Before we get into doomsday predictions on the future of Great Blue
Heron(ries) due to expanding Bald Eagle populations, let me remind you that
Bald Eagles have been nesting in Discovery Park, Seattle, for eight years now.
These eagles regularly (at least daily if not several times a day) cruise
along Salmon Bay, the Ballard Locks, less than 1 minute from their nesting
territory. The Kiwanis Ravine Great Blue Heronry, in the flight path of the
eagles, has been expanding despite all herons becoming air borne whenever an
eagle (or a Red-tailed Hawk) flies by. No loss of heron chicks (or eggs) has
been reported there, to my knowledge (or have I missed something these past
few weeks?). We know that in the past one of the Discovery Park Bald Eagle
males (we may be on the third consecutive male by now; there's only one
nesting pair in the park) did raid crow nests within Discovery Park, feeding
nestling crows to the eaglets in two consecutive years.

I seem to recall reports from a few years back (2?) on the Renton (?) heronry,
where within one season several herons started to stand their ground (nest)
against an eagle periodically (every four days?) visiting the heronry and
consuming eggs/heron chicks. Is that the same "old south King County heronry"
Thais Bock mentioned?

I am not saying that watching a particular Bald Eagle, or even several of
them, wipe out a heronry is not disturbing. I just wonder if it has more to do
with individual eagles and perhaps location and size of heronries and, last
but probably not least, fragmented and disturbed habitat for both species.
I.e. smaller, open trees where the herons nest, being more accessible to
eagles. Just a thought...

I certainly wouldn't want to go as far as to "suspect there'll be a drastic
decline of our NW coastal herons."


Martin Muller, Seattle
martinmuller at msn.com