If you came here today for home decor or gardening, you might be surprised to see a post on birds. We aren’t birdwatchers who look for birds and keep track of the ones we have seen, and sit for hours in nature looking at birds by any means. However, we do enjoy the birds around our home, in our area, on our travels, and on our path as we come across new-to-us birds. So, here’s a little life at the cottage/human interest type post of our experience with a new backyard bird this week.
Kirk and I heard a bird call around the yard in the last couple of weeks that we haven’t heard before. The other day a couple of birds we weren’t familiar with flew over while we were in the yard, which really piqued our interest. I took a short walk in the direction the birds came from and found their nest high in one of our pine trees.
After two days of research, recording the bird call, scouring the internet, consulting with birding friends, looking though our bird books, we finally figured it out this morning! We have a family of Green Herons nesting on our property, and we think that’s pretty awesome!
Green Herons use many different trees as nest sites including pines. The nest in our tree is at least 30 feet off the ground in a pine tree, which is typical. Commonly, the nest is also on or over the water, but may be up to a half-mile away. In our case we have a drainage pond in a small wooded area at the end of our cul de sac for a water source.
Herons are smart
Herons are one of only a few birds who use tools. This hunting technique has earned them the distinction of being placed amongst the world’s smartest birds. They are known to use lures and bait to catch fish! This Green Heron used bread as bait! (video by http://www.10000birds.com
I downloaded the free Merlin Bird ID App to help with research and I highly recommend this App if you are interested at all in birds. Not only does it have bird identification, it also allows the user to record your sightings of birds, which I did with the Green Heron… which probably means I’m a bird nerd now.
I prefer to think of myself as a life-long learner so home decor and gardening friends, thank you for indulging the birder in me!
