The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-18
THE LITTLE BLUE HERON
by c. J. Pennock)


propriate Latin name today than when
such restriction was first applied In the
earlier days it ranged quite freely during
the summer season-April to October
northward to New Jersey, west to the Mis-
sissippi river and south through Missouri
and the lower Southern States over Mexico,
Central America and the upper portions of
South America.
While never prosecuted to an extent
equaling that of the snowy egret, only
however, because of their lack of "aigrette'
plumes, yet it has become considerably re-
stricted in its distribution throughout our
own country. Rarely are they now to be
found nesting north of the Carolinas and
the states bordering the Gulf coast, another
sad commentary on the woeful waste we
have permitted of our natural resources ana
wild life.
Our forests, buffalo, deer, beavers, wild
pigeons, paroquets, egrets and numerous
others entirely obliterated or reduced to
degree, they can no longer be considered as
factors of our wonderful country and not
one of them but might today have been
preserved in ample numbers to have been a
source of wonder, pleasure and profit to
the whole world.
Locally along the Gulf coast this heron
may yet be seen in numbers to indicate
family the marvelously abundant bird life
that but recently swarmed over that region.
Nesting colonies of hundred or more Of
this species are even now not unusual.
Formerly they might have been counted
by thousands. Both this and the Louisiana
I Iii L Oft
of that enchanted "Land of Flowers feed
ing and disporting themselves through the
lower wet areas and by roadside and pond
to the admiration and pleasure of visitors.
All the more interesting feature is close
association of pure white birds with the in
tensely deep cadet-blue adults; the white
ones being the younger of the species, which
do not attain their full-colored plumage
until the summer of their second year. To
the uninitaited it seems incredible that two
full-sized birds of the same species may be
so distinctly divergent in colors
During their nesting period, the little
blue herons resort to the borders of ponds
or in lonely, remote swamps, where the nests
are constructed on bushes or low trees
above or bordering the water 1t is not un-
usual to find the nests closely crowded to-
gether-several in one bush. They are but
mere handful of light, dead twigs OF
sticks interlaced over and about branching
forks of the supporting bush, so flat ana
insecure that not infrequently the egg
may be rolled out by force of wind or
careless move of the birds. At this time
beginning with their mating and continuing
for few weeks only, the old birds have
nuptial dress or extra decoration of nu-
merous long, straight, slender, deicately
formed feathers extending we'll beyond the
tail. These are quickly shed off and at
times the ground or water under the nests
is thickly strewn with these discarded
adornments like faded ribbons after ball
All sorts of contentious and misunder-
standings appear to arise at one of these
breeding colonies. Usually a few Other
species of birds associate for their nesting
ibises and green and Louisiana herons may
all be found in small numbers Whereabouts
and dssensions constantly occur to such
an extent that petty quarrels, clamor, Cos
sip and harangue combine to produce
continued hum and din not unlike an aggre-
cation of ward politicians or a Sunday
school picnic.
In the late summer the young birds are
much inclined to see bit of the world and
small punches of them scatter out over
distant sections of the country and may
be found well up the Atlantic coastal plain
through Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania and lower New England and well up
the Mississippi valley, creating comment