The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1899-09-21
WAYS OF NIGHT HERoNs



"In the township Of Bristol. in my ma
tive county. three miles from the Della |
ware river" said n citizen OF Bucks |
county, Pa. "is an elevated tract OF !
woodland covering perhaps three acres, !
the timber being chiefly oak OF ancient
growth. During winter there Is moth
ing unusual in OF about that tract
Of timber to attract attention. but from
eariy in April until cold weather comes
again there are sights to be seen and
sounds to be heard there that naturally
set the stranger who may happen along
tina, way to much wondering and spec.
ulation.
Just why the big. iong-legged. tuf,.
ed birds should have selected that par
ticular piece Of woods to establish their
colony In no one knows, but 30 years or
more ago IL was preempied by pair
Of black crowned night herons. who
built their rude nest Of sticks and twigs
near the top OF one OF the oak trees.
There the female deposited four green
eggs. II Is supposed they were green.
ut least, for that is the color the night
heron chooses as the hue of its eggs.
There might have been more than four
in the nest, but IL there were results
did not prove II. for only four young
herons came from the nesting. While
the female heron was engaged in hatch
ing these eggs. her mate journeyed
nightly TO the Delaware river and
caught fsh. with which he returned and
fed her. The loud. harsh cries Of these
two birds in the night, and in the day
time II they were disturbed. in short
time earned for them among the ad-
jacent farmers the name OF quawk. n
local name by which the descendants
of the original pair are known to this
day. The four young herons grew and
thrivcd. When they were old enough
they went fishing nights themselves.
and by and by established homes OF
. their own in the woods.
when the cold weather came in the
fall the family o! herons few away
southwark. The next April they came
back again. and they OF their descend.
!, ants have been coming and going ever
since. until now they hold entire pos
> session Of the woods. not n tree beinr
without n nest during tn. season. and
: some trees having four nests each
I Nowhere else in this part of the stat,
arc there any of these queer birds
= Tn, colony numbers thousands, and nC
doub, o,,rt,owS from /, have cstab
4; IiSb,a themselves elsewhere. Al
y through the summer. from twilight uu
n ill sunrise. this grove is filled with 'h'
croaking of the h,rons rs they return
p from their fishing and foraging cxcur
o sions or star, on; TO make them.
-Th. coming of the night herouS q
Il this wood in IN, snrinr and their de
= n,r,ur. In the fall are aS mysterious n
= IN. canning and going o. the swallows
I. ors a,x ,h.r, will h. no sigh, or soun,
" :, ,rx ~ the b;c birds in or abou, tn
Il GROVE bu, before the mex, morning the,
n,,Y n. h.ar,i coming in with their far
r sounding auawks. and the, keep O,
ss ,o,,;ny mill after a few nights ther
p u;u n. hundreds upon hundreds q
n ,b,m Durinr IN. dsy a p.r>on passin
ie this ,rac, ~ timber would no, suspec
.r ,ha, IL WAS literally crowded with bird
n ,s b;y as III. heron. so entirely auie
er do thew keen in the ,rc.s. Hat let hir
p shout loudly, or clap his hands, OF max
he ,,, ,,uSuaI poise and instantly h
IL will be almoS, deaf.n-d by the cri,
e. ,h,, com. from every tree. and perhap
he startled by the hris,Iinr showing ,
,i ,uf,sd heads and rr,,, b,aks tha, ris
ri b.,. ,h.r, ard everywhere from anon
Or ,b. E,li,y. When twilight appraache,
re ,bou,h. oui., and pcacrfuInesS wants
fr,m IN. grove. Then ,hs hernns b-yi
h. to ,ak- rirh, On their toraginr trip
,s - -. ,,,l;,., che fac, knoun n,