Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron This solitary hunter is found just about everywhere I've traveled in the United States.

The images above were taken at Eagle Creek, Ripley Ohio.

Two years in a row now, I've set time aside to photograph this wonderful bird. As a Wildlife Artist, studying species is a must! I have a few favorites of course and this Common Great Blue Heron is certainly one of them.

Here are a few facts about them:

The North American Great Blue Heron is the most common and the largest of the Heron family.

They are typically seen along coastline, near shores of ponds, marshes or streams. They have a wonderful style of hunting. They are experts at fishing!

Their well designed neck and blade like bills allow them to snare their prey while standing or wading along these shores. Herons hunt alone but nest in colonies. They generally build nests in tall trees. Females lay from two to seven eggs which both male and female protect and incubate. It takes the Chicks about two months of age to survive on their own.

Great blue herons’ are wonderful to watch in flight. They typically range in size from 3.2 to 4.5 feet in height and have a wing span of 5.5 to 6.6 feet.