Green Heron Observations

Green herons sit patiently and watch intently.  

Instead of thrashing around in the pond, sometimes it is better to just be still and quiet, waiting for an opportunity to arise. Like a fish swimming by. And then be ready to spring into action.

A green heron can move quickly and decisively when the time is right.

 

Green herons are also famous for using tools - dropping leaves or bugs into the water to attract fish, then picking up and repositioning the bait as needed. Very smart. I have only seen videos of this, though. Maybe the green herons I’ve watched have had plenty of fish and didn’t need to work that hard. 

 

Sometimes patience is all you need to catch a big fish.

Often people make up names that are meant to be descriptive but don’t really fit. There aren’t really many green feathers on a ‘green’ heron. To me their back and head feathers look more blue, and their necks are rusty red.

 

Those necks You can see better if you stick your neck out. 

And it can be convenient to just lean down and suck up a fish for dinner. 

But sometimes it’s good to blend into the background. Rusty striped neck and chest feathers can provide camouflage when the green herons are lurking by the edge of a pond.  

There are green herons that live in the Virgin Islands all year, and a few others that come down for the winter. The permanent residents live in the wetlands and make nests out of sticks, either on the ground or in trees. 

Usually the green herons keep their nests pretty well hidden. However, Laurel Brannick recently saw one with a nest in plain view, hanging out on a branch over the Francis Bay pond on St. John. 

Photo Laurel Brannick

The exposed location was probably not the best choice. Laurel thought she saw two chicks in the nest, but by the next week the nest was empty.