Susan Kirby

The Beauty of the Little Blue Herons

I didn’t get to photograph an adult little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) until May 17, 2019, at the Lido Beach Passive Nature Area on Long Island. I had tried to see adult little blue herons on Staten Island when I read reports that they were there, but always seemed to miss them. But as you will see below, I did find a little blue heron on Staten Island in 2020, and have since seen more. On May 6, 2021, I watched a beautiful adult little blue heron catch tadpoles on the snag pond at the North Mount Loretto State Forest. The bird was sharing the waters with a great egret, while above perched an osprey. In June 2024, I saw another adult little blue heron at the snag pond.

The little blue heron joined a great egret on a log for about 5 seconds, before flying to the other side of the pond. This gallery shows the many faces and moods of the little blue heron.

The little blue heron in this slide show was photographed at the snag pond in North Mount Loretto State Forest, Staten Island, on June 3, 2024.

When I first heard about little blue herons, I chased one to High Rock Park on Staten Island, but it was late in the evening and I only got to see the bird flying. But in 2020, I returned to High Rock Park on June 9, and was rewarded with a lot of quality time with an adult little blue heron. He ate some tadpoles/frogs.

A Little Blue Heron at Lido Beach Passive Nature Area

May 17, 2019, was my first sighting of an adult little blue heron, and I got photos even though I was little far out of my camera’s range.

A Youngster on Staten Island

This juvenile little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) was stalking fish, insects and frogs at the pond at Mount Loretto Unique Area on Staten Island in the summer of 2017. The youngster looks at first to be either a great or snowy egret, but the pale black-tipped bill and greenish legs aren't quite right, and the bill length is longer than a cattle egret's.
 

The Filming the Feathers video shows some stalking behavior of the youngster, and shows the young heron eating a frog. It was shot on August 11, 20, 27 and September 1, and is set to guitar waltzes by Agustin Barrios Mangore, performed by Christian Silva Gonçalves and Tariq Harb, and obtained from MusOpen.org, a royalty-free music source. 

These photos were taken August 11, 20, 27 and September 1, 2017.