Great Blue Heron Nests

The main tree that holds up the heron rookery is dead. This Sycamore was 12-feet in diameter; the largest single tree at the PGT. Perhaps another victim of the drought?

Lorna thinks that heron droppings poisoned the tree after accumulating for several decades. Herons are huge birds with 6-foot wing spans. They are the largest birds that occurs in Missouri.

I’m worried about what this means for the rookery. Will they abandon this site? They have been roosting here since we moved here in 1970. As the rookery has grown to house over 50 birds they have started to use 4 smaller sycamores. One of those has died too.

The picture from today shows the stick nests. They reuse them and rebuild them year after year. The picture at the bottom shows me standing at the base of the tree 4-years ago.