During a very active morning I counted 56 Great Blue Herons in and around
the Kiwanis Heronry. Thirty one circling the heronry, twenty on the
fueling pier, and five in the trees at the locks. Lots of flying around and
lots of standing in nests. I never left the locks/Commodore Park so I could
have missed a goodly number in the heronry. and elsewhere. Adding to the
flying around were a Red-tailed Hawk, and an Imm. Bald Eagle that stopped
on the dead top of the Giant Sequoia. Everyone was upset with the Eagle,
Crows, Gulls, Herons, Ducks, Pigeons, they created a wonderful
cacophony. For those that are interested in such things, the Red-tail and
the Eagle seemed disinterested in the heronry. Too early for one thing, I
guess.

Someone asked me recently why we call it a heronry and not a rookery. I
couldn't answer him other than to say everyone else does it. So why do we?

Well, cheers and happy spring

Cliff Drake
Seattle WA
cliff at cliffdrake.net