Subject: [Tweeters] need your help locating 250 nesting herons in Puget
Date: Mar 2 13:17:00 2007
From: Suzanne Krom - szkrom at drizzle.com


The Black River heron colony appears to be in very serious trouble this year. There are only one-quarter to one-third the number of herons that should be there, and none have returned to their nests. Even if/when they do, we anticipate that it could well be an exceptionally difficult nesting season for them.



The likely reason is cumulative impacts -- rich habitat on an adjacent hillside was cleared recently, and now there is a brand new nest of bald eagles less than 400 feet away. These are the most recent incursions. In 2000, an office development was built less than 500 feet away, causing the herons to move their nests deeper into the colony. Many of us in the heron community are concerned that a tipping point may have been reached.



We need your help locating the ~250 great blue herons that have been displaced from this colony. Some may have joined existing colonies. Others are probably nesting in small remnant forested areas within perhaps about 20 miles of this Renton colony. They could be anywhere in the Southend or Central Puget Sound.



This situation is of grave concern, as there is a very limited population of this unique heron subspecies. The Black River colony was the largest by far in the tri-county region, with 138 active nests for the last many years.



Please help us if you can by contacting me immediately when you see herons nesting where you didn't before, or if you see an unusual number of herons joining an existing colony. You can reach me by calling 206-933-0222, or email szkrom at drizzle dot com.

Thank you,

Suzanne Krom

West Seattle

szkrom at drizzle dot com