Herons

These birds have it good around here. The largest heron rookery in the Lake Erie region is on West Sister Island, a poison-ivy infested wilderness about 15 miles northwest of Put-in-Bay that once served as a stopover for bootleggers. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it as a wildlife refuge in 1937, and to protect the more than 4,000 nests only researchers are allowed on the 80-acre island.

Great Egret
Slightly smaller than the great blue heron, these herons are most common in the Lake Erie marshes. They tend to wander after breeding and can show up most anywhere.

Snowy Egret
This heron resembles a small version of the great egret but differs in its black legs, yellow feet and dark bill. The yellow feet are often referred to as “yellow slippers.”

Little Blue Heron
It is best identified in all ages by a dark-tipped gray bill. Young birds are all white and resemble the other white herons, but the colored bill is distinctive.

Green Heron
Only 18 inches tall, it is the second most common heron in the region and is often found along the edges of ponds and lakes. This heron is a solitary nester, shunning West Sister in favor of small trees and shrubs.

Great Blue Heron
The most common heron, these birds stand about 4 feet tall and have a 6-foot wingspan. They feed mainly on fish but will also eat frogs, snakes, insects and even mice. Nesting colonies can be found throughout the Lake Erie region.

Least Bittern
The smallest heron, it is a little more than a foot tall and has a 14-inch wingspan. The least bittern breeds in large marshes with abundant cattails and is more often heard than seen. Its call is a soft “coo, coo, coo.”

Cattle Egret
First found in North America in 1941, they have rapidly spread throughout the continent. In spring, bright orange feathers attract mates.