SouthCoast Sippican Great Heron Rookery
They’re big, they’re noisy, they’re demanding; so, it’s probably a good thing they’re also cuddly cute. Great Blue Heron chicks in the SouthCoast Sippican rookery seem ready to fledge … not a moment too soon for their weary parents.
First Great Blue Heron Returned to Rookery on 24 March
On the morning of March 24th, with the ground still topped with a layer of ice and snow, the first Great Blue Heron returned to the SouthCoast Sippican rookery, occupying one of the four existing nests on the shore of Washburn pond.
Great Blue Heron with Two Large, Healthy Chicks
Today, two months and a few days later, that same Great Blue Heron guards two large and healthy chicks that seem on the verge of fledging.
Two Great Blue Heron Chicks Ready to Fledge
In the next tree over, another Great Blue Heron sits with another pair of huge chicks. Two additional Great Blue Heron nests stand on nearby trees with chicks not yet at this stage of development.Â
Ospreys Hold Stolen Great Blue Heron Nest
In the other direction, an osprey pair hold a nest that they took from Great Blue Herons last Spring and to which they have returned this Spring to nest.