The local great blue heron colony’s spring nesting season is underway at Commodore Park just west of the Ballard Locks on the Magnolia side.
Volunteers with the Heron Habitat Helpers (HHH), a nonprofit that monitors the colony each year, say the park is bustling with activity right now.
“If you visit now, you’ll witness courtship displays such as bill duels, neck stretching, feather fluffing and on-going nest building and remodeling,” HHH wrote in its latest newsletter.
“The male gathers branches and sticks from nearby trees—sometimes stealing sticks from other nests, and the female decides if the stick is worthy. If so, she’ll carefully create or bolster the nest. Most herons have chosen their mate for the season, and a few couples are already incubating eggs!”
HHH has a robust monitoring program of volunteers who track mating couples, nests, and hatching eggs. Commodore Park is home to Seattle’s largest great blue heron colony—last year, the colony produced 65 nests.
The lead heron monitors this year, Emily and Shawn Pitcher, said they’re expecting the first chicks to hatch this week.
The Ballard Locks U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host a “Bird Lover’s Day” at the Ballard Locks on Friday, April 11, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., where the public can meet HHH volunteers and learn about the colony. They’ll have birding scopes available for the public to get a closer look at the nests from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Photos: Nancy Reithaar
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