Great Blue Heron Nesting Ritual; Venice, Florida

March 28, 2011

Photo of a pair of great blue herons going through nesting riutal. — Great Blue Herons in Nesting Ritual

March is a great month to photograph birds nesting. This photo was taken five years ago this month at the Venice Rookery in Venice, Florida. It’s famous for photo opportunities of wading birds nesting. Nest building is a joint effort for the great blue herons. The male brings in a twig and the female accepts it as the photo depicts. When she takes it the male leaves and returns shortly thereafter with another twig and the whole ritual of passing the twig is repeated.

If you go to Florida to photograph wading birds at this time of year you should put the Venice Rookery on your itinerary. To purchase a print of this image click here.

0 Responses

Pat Ulrich says:

March 28, 2011 at 8:53 pm

Awesome shot, Jim! How cool it must be to witness these events from such a close range. I think things should be picking up at Audubon Canyon Ranch off of Bolinas Lagoon for the heron/egret rookery there. I’m ashamed to say that I never done the walk there, but it’s supposed to be the best place to see the local nesting action.
1. Jim Coda says:
  
  March 29, 2011 at 6:18 am
  
  Thanks Pat. The Venice Rookery is probably the best place to photograph herons and egrets nesting in the United States. There is a nest every year at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park that people go to photograph. I tried Audubon Canyon Ranch once. When I was there the nests were too far away to photograph.

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