i recall that many of the younger (or too late to return) herons chose to
make nests in the evergreens around that same pond... it's sad, because
that tree really was a photographer's dream.

00 caren

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hal Opperman" <hal at catharus.net>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: 2008 December 31, Wednesday 20:17
Subject: [Tweeters] Medina heron tree downed


> Tweets:
>
> A cottonwood tree in Medina Park that has been home to several Great Blue
> Heron nests was toppled by last night's winds and now lies in the pond at
> its foot. A perennial object of attention for amateur photographers, the
> local media, and school field trips, many herons have been reared and
> successfully fledged from this exposed breeding colony without showing
> the slightest concern for human disturbance. The tree leaned precariously
> out over the pond, shallowly rooted and already clearly dying when the
> herons adopted it. Nonetheless it hung on for years, eventually holding
> up to five bulky stick nests. As the colony grew, other herons built
> nests in nearby firs where they are much less obvious. Typically the
> birds have returned in late January to repair their nests or build new
> ones; courtship is in full swing three or four weeks after that. It will
> be interesting to see how many birds are able to find suitable nest sites
> to sustain the mini-colony in this busy park now that their anchor tree
> has fallen.
>
> Hal Opperman
> Medina, Washington
> hal at catharus.net _______________________________________________
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