“Honey, I’m home!”

My husband and I watched a pair of Great Blue Herons yesterday, on a nest in a cypress tree in a man-made pond near the Green River Parkway in Jensen Beach.

It seems a bit early for nesting season, but I suppose these birds know what they’re doing.

Funny to see these big wading birds up in a tree. They are the largest herons in North America.

Male Great Blue Herons collect much of the nest material, gathering sticks from the ground and nearby shrubs and trees, and from unguarded and abandoned nests, and presenting them to the female. She weaves a platform and a saucer-shaped nest cup, lining it with pine needles, moss, reeds, dry grass, mangrove leaves, or small twigs. Nest building can take from 3 days up to 2 weeks; the finished nest can range from a simple platform measuring 20 inches across to more elaborate structures used over multiple years, reaching 4 feet across and nearly 3.5 feet deep.

Like other herons they often breed in colonies, with many other nests and pairs nearby, but these two appeared to be alone.

Beautiful plumage.

It was a sunny day, warming into the lower 70s. It felt good after a few cold, windy days.

Some wings!