In April 2009 at this colony in downeast Maine, ice-out is not yet complete and the herons have yet to return. Photo by Jonathan Mays.
The snowpack is gradually receding at my house. A remnant of our first snowman of the winter is poking its head out once more (so that’s where my hat went!). While I dread the looming mud season that will follow, I am excited that spring is really on its way. In fact, the Vernal Equinox is just around the corner: March 20th to be exact. Besides mud season, the arrival of spring also marks the return of great blue herons to Maine. Have you seen any herons yet? Feel free to post here or on Facebook to share your first heron observations of the season.
A volunteer and I watch nesting herons from a distance.
Whether or not you see one of the first herons to arrive in Maine is not important. What is more important is ensuring that each of our wading bird colonies is being monitored by a member of the Heron Observation Network. The Heron Observation Network is a network of volunteers who have adopted colonies across the state. By adopting a colony, volunteers make observations at the colony during the breeding season and report the data back to MDIFW. Over time, this data will help to reveal population trends of each colonial wading bird species and help guide future management.
During the nest building stage, a great blue heron brings a twig to its mate. Photo by Al Larson.
MDIFW knows of approximately 100 active great blue heron colonies in Maine and has found volunteers to monitor many of them. However, there are still approximately 40 colonies that have not been adopted. Adoption includes a minimum of 1 visit during the peak of the breeding season which is mid-May to mid-June. For those with the interest and time, additional observations can be made at 2-week intervals in an effort to capture breeding effort and success information for the season. Observations are only done if disturbance to the nesting birds can be avoided. Binoculars are necessary, and a scope is often very helpful. Data recorded include the number of active and inactive nests, the breeding stage of each nest (incubation, nestling, fledgling), and the number of nestlings and fledglings seen.
Below is a list of the towns where colonies needing adoption are located. Contact me if you are interested in adopting a colony or if you know of a colony that we may not yet know about.
| Town | Colony# |
| Andover | 609 |
| Anson | 658 |
| Buckfield | 714 |
| Burnham | 175 |
| Burnham | 632 |
| Chesterville | 697 |
| China | 681 |
| Eddington | 640 |
| Edinburg | 695 |
| Edinburg | 723 |
| Edinburg | 727 |
| Eliot | 100 |
| Eliot | 646 |
| Fairfield | 745 |
| Gray | 670 |
| Greenbush | 718 |
| Greenbush | 740 |
| Hancock | 701 |
| Harpswell | 4 |
| Lagrange | 746 |
| Lyman | 704 |
| Lynchtown Twp | 131 |
| Mercer | 689 |
| Monmouth | 744 |
| Muscle Ridge Shoals Twp | 725 |
| Orneville Twp | 675 |
| Paris | 604 |
| Parsonsfield | 185 |
| Passadumkeag | 741 |
| Sidney | 605 |
| Stetson | 629 |
| Stow | 109 |
| Surry | 179 |
| T4 R3 WELS | 726 |
| Unity | 115 |
| Waldo | 688 |
| Westfield | 510 |
| Westport Island | 711 |
Danielle DAuria
Hi Danielle,
Where is the Gray Colony located?
Hi Angela,
I don’t like to give detailed directions to colonies over the internet. Feel free to contact me via email (danielle.dauria@maine.gov) or phone (207-941-4478) if you are interested in monitoring this site. We still don’t have someone to monitor it in 2012, so your help would be great! Thank you!
7-17-11…Is it possible that I am seeing a colony of Great Blue Herons the last 3-5 days, early in the morning (5:30am) when the tide is out on the Webhannet River in Wells? There are at least 6-8 of the most majestic, long necked, long billed, long legged BIG brownish (?) birds I have ever seen! They are so BIG I can’t believe they can fly, but they can and do if they here us walking on the Drakes Island side of the river…???
You are likely seeing a congregation of feeding herons, which is different than a colony of nesting herons. Some of the birds you are seeing may be young of the year, newly fledged birds (within the last few weeks), that are foraging with their parents. They may have nested somewhat nearby and this area you describe could be a favored feeding site. Thank you for sharing your observation!
Danielle, thank you SO much for your reply! The birds were indeed foraging away as I watched in amazement!
Dear Danielle,
I met Tom Cochrane Friday at Reid State Park lookng for the Great Blue Heron nests. He suggested that you might need a volunteer monitor.
I am a volunteer monitor of Piping Plover nests at Reid and am also interested in locating an egretry nearby that I have recently heard about but have not had time to locate.
I am president of the Merrymeeting Chapter of Maine Audubon and have been birding ever since I could hold binoculars.
Ted Allen
Dear Danielle-
If you still are in need of volunteers to watch a heron colony I would be interested in doing so. I have a degree in Natural Resources from UMaine 1988, and very good photography skills. I live in Bucksport . You can contact me by email or cell phone.
Let me know, thanks.
Patrick Cough