Herons on the Shore

Here on the Eastern Shore, it’s not uncommon for people to see that wonderful Chesapeake icon known as the Great Blue Heron. The heron’s large size, its blue/gray color, its long legs, neck and straight beak, make this amazing bird a stand out against other birds. From a distance, a blue heron in flight can look like a prehistoric Pterodactyl. Just as distinctive as the bird itself, is its obnoxious call. James Michener described the heron in his book, “Chesapeake” as ‘fishing long-legs’ and its obnoxious sound as “Kraaaaak”. Both are perfect descriptions.

While the Great Blue Heron is well recognized and well known on the Delmarva Penninsula, there are 10 other species in the heron class that inhabit — or at least visit — the Eastern Shore. Some are more common than others. These include the Bittern, Black Crowned Night Heron, Green Heron, Great White Heron, Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret, Least Bittern, Yellow Crowned Night Heron, the Little Blue Heron, and the Tri-Colored Heron.

Blue herons on the Delmarva Peninnsula mostly live here year-round — other herons use the Eastern Shore as a breeding ground and migrate back to southern locations like Florida or the Islands during the winter months. Most heron species have been present on the Eastern Shore for thousands of years. Herons are a prehistoric species and the earliest evidence of the Blue Heron has been dated to 1.8 million years ago.

Interestingly, there’s a new-comer in the group that has arrived just within the last 100 years — the Cattle Egret, which somehow arrived here from Africa, can often be seen in farm fields near livestock, munching on ticks and other insects. Like other herons, the Cattle Egret also likes small fish and frogs too.

The Eastern Shore’s liquid landscape of marshes, streams, and tidal waters provides ideal habitat for Herons which accounts for the frequent sightings. All heron species are carnivores, eating fish, frogs, small snakes, ducklings, tadpoles, crayfish, and mice. With their long legs and beaks, they stealthily walk along shallow waterways, often stabbing their food with their sharp beaks before gulping it down.

Culturally, herons have played an important role in both native and modern cultures. Native Americans symbolized the Heron with patience and good luck.

Modern cultures present a mixed bag in how the heron has been treated. Between 1870 and 1920, the Eastern Shore was a major hunting ground for Heron species to support the feather trade. In fact, the Great White Heron was almost hunted to extinction. During this era, it was considered high fashion for women’s hats to adorn elaborate feathers. And the more elaborate, the greater the fashion statement.

Each women’s hat often included three ounces of feathers and it generally took about four birds to generate one ounce. As a consequence, tens of millions of herons were slaughtered over that 50 year period for nothing more than a few feathers to support the fashion industry.

In 1918, the United States passed the Migratory Bird Treaty, which put in place some sweeping protections for many migratory birds. Those protections exist today, and in 2024, many Heron populations are stable.

The Great Blue Heron is so common now that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature declares the Blue Heron as a “least concern species”.

All heron species are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Herons mate in the spring and and many of their nesting sites are in trees near the water. Each colony of heron is referred to as a rookery. There are documented rookeries on public lands can viewed at Sassafras Wildlife Management Area near Kennedyville, Eastern Neck Island near Rock Hall, and Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, among others.

If you’re out and about, near a marsh or storm water pond, in a marina or out on the rivers or Bay, look for a Heron. They are truly majestic birds.

Jay Falstad is a Maryland Master Naturalist and Executive Director of the Queen Anne’s Conservation Association. For comments, questions, or suggested topics about Eastern Shore nature, email him at jayfalstad@gmail.com