Eagles vs. Herons (1 Viewer)

[lotsamama]

Hello! I'm new to this site--just joined today.

I am very excited about events happening in my backyard. I live in a rural area in Minnesota (USA). We own 5 acres with about 1 to 2 acres underwater at the back of our property. Including the neighboring property, the wetland is maybe 5 acres. There are standing dead trees in the wetland and herons have been nesting there for several years. The colony has grown to include approximately 35 nests. We were fascinated when we saw a pair of bald eagles investigating these nests in mid March. Incredibly they chose to set up housekeeping in one of the nests--we found it amusing when we saw them hopping from nest to nest harvesting sticks to add to the nest they chose. We assumed the herons would not choose to nest here this year.

I usually see the first herons returning the last week of March and, in fact, the first I noticed was there on March 26. That day, the heron dove at the eagle incubating eggs (I'm assuming the female) and the male eagle came from nowhere and pursued the heron. This conflict went on intermitently for most of that day. Since then the eagle has seemed successful in simply chasing away any and all herons that have landed in the rookery.

This morning a large group of herons (I estimate 50 birds) flew in over the house and landed en masse in the nests of their colony. This was an incredible sight. As we all know, these are big birds and 50 of them flying not more than 50 feet above you is just awesome.

The eagle made a mild attempt to chase them off but he seemed to have accepted their presence by the time we were leaving to pursue our daily routines. I'm eager to see what's going on when I get home this afternoon.

Happy birding!
Pat

 

[White*Kite]

Sounds fantastic! I'd love to see such a big group of herons together in flight. (They are Great Blues I take it?) And it goes without saying I'm jealous of your eagles! =)

 

[deborah4]

:hi: Hi Lotsamama

What a fantastic opportunity for some close viewing of bald eagles and herons you have!! And lucky eagles for nesting on the land that belongs to a member of BF - no worries for them there then. Hope you manage to get a few pics (not of the nests of course and manage to share some of the experience with us here.

You might find the Gabriola Island webcam link interesting (under Bald Eagle webcam)

A big welcome to BF :t:

 

[lotsamama]

The Saga Continues

I had the opportunity to spend mostly uninterrupted time in the late afternoon yesterday observing the interaction of bald eagles and great blue herons. The herons are very nervous. Every time the male eagle flew to or from its aerie the whole colony of herons would take flight and return within a few minutes. Then a third eagle was soaring overhead very high and again the herons all took flight. I expected the male eagle which was sitting on the edge of the nest to do something about the third eagle (I understand that eagles are very territorial about their nesting sites) but he just continued to sit there.

This morning I had to leave earlier than normal so could not spend a lot of time bird watching but I did notice some of the herons showing signs of courtship behaviors. I know of some large heron colonies that have been abandoned by the birds even after the chicks are hatched--I hope that doesn't happen here but I fear that the presence of the eagles could prompt such an event.

Happy birding!
Pat

 

[Marmot]

You better watch out Pat you might have to position some easy chairs for some BF members to come and watch with you.

Sounds like a wonderful place.

 

[lotsamama]

Actually I would love to share this with people--particularly people more knowledgable about all this than I am. My only caveat would be they would have to help me clean my house after the sun goes down--why waste time on such trivia when there are birds to watch.

 

[lotsamama]

Didn't have much time to watch the herons and eagles this morning. A quick look revealed the female eagle on the nest, the male soaring overhead about 50 feet and no herons anywhere. I believe that the herons have not yet laid eggs but they usually have by this time--they will need to make a decision about staying or finding new nesting grounds soon.

Happy birding!
Pat

 

[lotsamama]

It was a very busy weekend in the wetland!

The herons and eagles seem to have arrived at a truce. The herons have about two thirds of the area, the eagle gets the remaining portion. The herons are still very nervous and take flight each time the eagle comes or goes.

Other birds seen and/or heard in the wetland this weekend include egrets, wood ducks, swans and Canadian geese.

Oh, and there are song birds, of course. A robin was singing from the top of a tree at the edge of the yard as I was cleaning out perennial gardens, blue jays usually nest in a big maple by the play house and a cardinal was flitting through the trees, too. We don't feed song birds anymore because we had so much trouble with raccoons and other undesirable critters but we still see the song birds.

Happy birding!

Pat

 

[Thayeri]

This is sounding like a very interesting situation that is going to get even more interesting over the next few months... while the great blues are formidable, a bald eagle could certainly take one, and water birds are a staple of the bald eagle diet, as the herons likely know, on at least an instinctual level. Yet, if you are an eagle -- why mess with a heron and risk injury if you don't have to?

However, when the eaglets and heron chicks have each hatched, and assuming that the adult eagles can continue to risklessly scare off the adult herons at will... those heron chicks sound like they may end up being a quite convenient protein source for hungry young eaglets...

Keep us posted!

 

[squirrelman]

I agree with you Thayeri...

When the young birds are born the Eagles will win the battle for food. I have seen them take Heron chicks from nests. When the adult eagles fly towards the nesting herons they fly away, this leaves the nest open for attack. The heron chick has no chance. I can pretty much guarantee that this is going to happen in your area Lotsamama. My guess is that the herons also make a lot of long, steady screaming noise as the eagle approaches and flys on past the nests. At least that is what happens here in Vancouver. I have also seen the eagles land on a heron nest and take sticks from it to mend or build up it's own nest. It will be interesting to see what happens in your case. Keep us advised.

 

[lotsamama]

The herons have nested in our wetland for several years and, yes, we have witnessed birds of prey (usually red tailed hawks) taking the young birds. Surrounding our home and the wetland is dense woods and we hear owls often--if we hear an owl particularly close it seems like those herons are squawking all night.

Yes, this will be an interesting nesting season.

Another issue that I think is relevant to the situation is bird flu. I would imagine that birds that nest in colonies like herons would be more susceptible to this type of disease. In this situation it could be passed to the eagles fairly easily too. All we can do is watch and wait.

 

[buckskin hawk]

Keep posting your updates. They are fascinating.

Our Great Blue Herons are year around residents and I can count on seeing one every day on just about any farm pond of any size. That bill has to be of concern to any attacking bird of prey.

 

[lotsamama]

Thanks for your interest!

We are still in suspense about the nesting status in our wetland. Yesterday was a busy day for me and I really had NO time for bird watching. As the sun was going down last night and again first thing this morning I noticed there were no herons at the nests at all. Before I left for work, there were maybe a half dozen herons standing at nests. I love to see those herons there but part of me hopes they find another place to nest this year--I can't believe that they will be able to successfully raise a brood when they are so nervous about the neighbors.

On the other hand their neighbors, the eagles, were active this morning. The male sometimes chooses another nest to sit at. (Or does he stand? Maybe he roosts?) Perhaps he is simply resting or maybe he is observing the goings on around him. Interestingly he seems to choose another nest at random, sometimes chasing off a heron that was there already. This morning, he was preening his feathers at a nest maybe 20 feet from the nest where his mate is incubating eggs. Then I saw the female get up from the eggs, stretch her wings, preen herself a little and settle back down on the nest.

We seem to be having an early spring with much warmer temperatures than usual for the season. As a result, the trees surrounding our yard are already beginning to bud out--once the leaves are out I will not be able to observe things as easily but I believe the eagle's nest is in a spot that I can see from my upstairs windows. And, if the herons choose to stay, I will certainly hear them.

Happy birding!

Pat

 

[lotsamama]

I think that most of the heron colony has found another nesting site--I've seen only a few great blues the last few days and they are roosting in some of the living trees around the perimeter of the wetland. The herons will need to be getting on with laying eggs soon and I'm pretty certain there have been no brooding herons on the nests in our wetland.

Happy birding!

Pat

 

[lotsamama]

There are a handful of great blue herons staying on in the wetland in spite of the eagles. It appears that herons are incubating eggs in 3 to 6 nests.

I was fascinated to hear the eagle call over the weekend. I was out in the yard and a few herons and a pair of Canadian Geese were "talking"--then I noticed the eagle's voice. I don't think I've ever heard an eagle call before and it was louder than I expected. I'd been told that it was a high pitched call but had also been lead to believe that it wouldn't be very loud. It was loud enough to be easily heard over the gabbling of the herons and geese. I was busy in the yard when this happened so was not watching the events in the wetland--I don't know what prompted the "conversation."

Happy birding!

Pat

 

[lotsamama]

I expect to see indications of hatchlings in the eagle's nest soon. My reading tells me they have a 35 day incubation--it's probably coming up on 35 days within the next few days.

Great blue herons are nesting and attempting to incubate eggs, too. At least I think so. I can't believe that they will successfully hatch eggs this year--they fly away at the slightest hint of movement in the eagle's nest. This morning several herons who were sitting on eggs (I think) suddenly took flight--fully 1 minute later the male eagle flew to his mate sitting on her eggs. The herons were gone for at least 15 minutes. It was a chilly morning--can the eggs develop under those conditions?

Happy birding!

Pat

 

[deborah4]

Hi Pat

I am still following your 'diary' with avid interest, as are many I'm sure. Unfortunately, I haven't the experience to answer your question though - I do hope some of the herons at least will brood successfully, sounds like your land is an important breeding site for this group. :-C


Thank you for continuing to share this with us.

 

[lotsamama]

There is nothing new to report from the wetland today--I had only a moment to watch this morning. I saw no herons. The female eagle is not sitting as low on the nest as normal. Does she have hatchlings? We'll have to wait and see.

I think we have a pair of Canadian geese nesting in the wetland this year. They usually check it out in the spring but it's hemmed in on all sides by dense woods and I think the geese like more space. However, this year a pair is hanging out a lot longer than usual. They are down at the other end of the area and I can't see them but I can certainly hear them.

I'm happy to have some place to record my observations and share them with others who might be interested. I get very excited about all these events but I really don't know anyone who shares my excitement and wonder about our natural world. I'm teaching my kids to observe and appreciate the world around them but my husband is at most mildly interested. Thank you for "listening".

Happy birding!

Pat

 

[squirrelman]

Hi Pat...

Looks like your herons have pulled up camp and moved to another area of your lands. This happened here in Stanley Park a few years ago as well. The colony had enough of the eagles nesting near to them and left.

I always think of the calling of the eagles as sounding like a squeaky wheel on a baby buggy or something. Whenever I hear it my ears perk up and I find myself looking around to find where the bird is.

I am keeping my eyes peeled on a nesting pair here in a local park. It has a gravel trail that goes past the nest site on one side. The birds don't seem to mind as people walk past with kids and dogs in tow. The nest is about 40 yards in the field from the path and about 30 yards up the tree so I guess it is enough out of the way. There is a small man-made lake here stocked with fish and there are lots of ducks as well to feed the eaglets when they hatch. That will be one sure sign of young in the nest, when the parents start coming and going bringing food to them. I can hardly wait.

Have fun!!

Ron

 

[kb244]

I'm the kind of person that needs to see pictures, the stories got me up in suspense.