Calumet Lake is located in the Calumet Lions Club Park and from the photos Liz Siivola shares with us here today, it looks like the Herons are enjoying the Lake and calling it home. Liz captured a Great Blue Heron there in the shallow water and was able to snap several photos as it was taking off. She figured it thought it was hiding there, but she spotted it and was ready with her camera for when it flew off. Check out those wings, quite a span there, even without seeing them stretched right out in flight. Not real colorful, but distinct different colors from the outer feathers to the inner feathers...beautiful.

Then when Liz was walking up the trail around the lake, she saw what she later was able to identify as a juvenile Green Heron, two of them in the branches of a willow tree, a few feet above the water. Liz said that it’s been a great summer for capturing the birds at Calumet Lake and she feels so fortunate to have seen the juvenile Green Heron there, as it’s quite a sighting.

So much beauty in the nature all around us here in the Copper Country. In The Keweenaw shares the ‘Sound of Nature’ – from Lake Superior in Copper Harbor. One commenter described it perfectly when they said this is “Pure, joyful ‘music’ from the Greatest Lake on the planet!”

Wonderful Heron photos, such graceful birds!
And the Green Heron isn’t always easy to spot
as they lurk in vegetation near the shoreline.
Did you know Great Blue Herons can also be found
in farmlands? I’ve seen them following tractors,
eating whatever small rodents get stirred up! And
they are long lived birds too. According to the
Cornell Ornithology Lab: The oldest recorded Great
Blue Heron was found in Texas when it was at least
24 years, 6 months old.

Way cool pics, and, Cindy...thanks for the great
info!

Wouldn't it be cool, if birds had birthday parties!
Invite all their offspring, just think how many
after 24 1/2 years!

Nice pictures, Liz! They are such cool birds.

Hi
Cindy, I haven't seen Great Blue Herons in farm fields
but it makes sense that they would take advantage of
easier access to prey. I have seen lots and lots of
sandhill cranes feeding (on plants) in fields in the
fall, as they are getting ready to migrate.

Ercch, fall migration...we aren't at the end of summer
but I can see it from here.