• Wednesday-What'sUP August 10 - 09:17 pm

In case you didn't know, the scientific name for a Great Blue Heron is - Ardea herodias, pronounced ARE-dee-ah her-ODE-ih-as. In Latin, ardea means "heron" and in Greek, herodias means "heron", so there's no mistaking that they mean it's a HERON! :-> This perfectly posed specimen was on his way to who knows where, but we're sure glad he took a break near a boat dock in Escanaba, so Suzanne Lunn could get a shot of him in all his feathery glory, standing proudly on the remnants of a mooring!

That's my new background! I saw a lot of herons last week near the mouth of the Au Sable on Lake Huron. Or maybe just one very busy flier. Beautiful birds! Thanks for the photo.

I think herons are fascinating to watch, and I love the photo. Suzanne's album is beautiful.

beauty before flight!

Beautiful Bird, standing so proud and still...

Nice composition! We have herons quite commonly down here and also at the head of Keweenaw Bay.

It's cool to watch them in flight! Great shots in the gallery Suzanne...I especially liked your hummingbird photos!

Suzanne, great pictures in your photo gallery. I loved the hummingbird ones especially. My pictures are fussy when I try to catch the hummers. I guess I need to practice, practice, practice.

Suzanne, Great pic of the Heron...I love sitting and watching the birds in the summer.Wonderful pics of the humming birds too...thanks. :)

Absolutely stunning picture - it looks like this fellow posed there just to have his picture taken!

Bravo! :)

Cindy in ST.Clair Shores; At Mich.Harbor Marina on Jefferson I have for years seen (B.C.N.H.'s)
Black Caped Night Heron's. An at the 11 Mile Marina one like the picture above.By the way Cindy,was that you I used to see in the early morning walking there? I used to work security afew years back there.

David, I'll have to check out the Michigan Harbor Marina for the Black Caped Night Herons. That couldn't have been me a few years ago. It's only this year that I started walking in the park. It is sure a lot more interesting than on the neighborhood sidewalks. In the spring I counted 35 swans there at one time, but I only see a few of them in the mornings now. Unfortunately, it has been just too hot and muggy to walk much lately.

Here in ohio There is a nesting site for these birds not far from my home. Sometimes 10 birds build their nest in the same tree and they are huge. I never understand how the branches stay in the tree or the trees keep standing.Then to see three or four trees all together with these birds standing in the nest.When the little ones hatch oh what noise as they call for more food and the parents answer.Sounds like something out of a prehistoric movie.
Todays photo is just a beautiful one.

Thanks again, Derek -- and thank you, too, to Paul. I missed
Paul's late posting, but my wife caught it last night and told me
about it today. It is so nice to have knowledgeable people like
Derek and Paul on this site!

I posted a message this morning and realized my email address is posted with it (one click away). I had specified earlier not to have it accessible. I get enough spam. Is this a recent change?

Hmm... I went back in and edited my profile to hide my email address, and it worked. Did your software change to make it necessary to update it?

I wonder if the Blue Heron is looking for the Pink
Flamingo? Has anyone seen anymore of the Flamingo?

Last I heard the Flamingo hasn't been seen since Friday. Many UP and downstate birders have been looking for it west of Munising at the Au Train lake and river. Tourists took photos of it from a distance. The area where it was is only accessible by boat. It appears now it is an "escape". There are no confirmed official records of a true wild one anywhere ever outside of Florida and only one for Texas!

Dave, those are Black CROWNED Night Herons! Haven't heard anything if they are along the lake this year in SCS (yet) I would suppose Macomb Audubon members would be aware of them there!(?)

Thanks for all the nice comments on my picture of the beautiful Blue Heron I took...some credit belongs to my husband who actually saw it before I did.