Ties that Bind

 

Green Heron, at home

Green Herons come here regularly from the South for their breeding season. Although I can't be sure it's the same individuals returning year after year, Halibut Point's wetlands generally satisfy the necessities of food, habitat, and potential mates to fulfill the migration. I think of these fulfillments as the ties that bind. They make up the nature of the place.

As near as I can tell the herons arrive here singly, quite possibly at night. Seen from above as it flies across a quarry pond with slow wing beats a Green Heron looks black, like a tailless crow.

A Green Heron roosting

Its first criterion must be finding a place with good prospects for shelter, food, and protected nesting.

Stalking prey

The birds work the water's edge for all types of aquatic prey. Often they strike from a motionless pose.

Swallowing a tadpole

They're ready to snatch tadpoles surfacing to breathe, or unwary frogs. I've seen one spear a dragonfly perched in the shrubbery.

Taking a meal to the nestlings

The ecology in and around Halibut Point State Park makes fine breeding habitat for Green Herons.

A heron fishing promontory

Their fishing exploits make them a popular sight for summer visitors.

Solitary heron, 2022

This year only a single Green Heron took up residence. It announced its satisfaction with nesting prospects in a woody fringe and called plaintively for a mate. All during the spring we heard the soft skeow sounds from within the canopy.

Heron's vigil

Our heron abandoned Halibut Point in mid-June, presumably in search of a mate, that powerful binding tie where our ample geographic attractions failed it this season.