For The Birds

Two of the most noteworthy things I learned last week was that blue herons live in blue heron rookeries and that there are blue heron rookeries in Indiana.

Since you rarely see more than one blue heron in the same location in a pond, I just figured they nested alone. Shows you what I know about birds.

My mother and sisters were all bird watchers. "Look, there's a bird!" someone would shout and the car would come to a screeching halt as binoculars were called into action on all sides. I liked going with them on their bird watching excursions, but that was just to get out of the house, not to watch birds. Still, I picked up some bird lore on these trips and I don't remember any one mentioning that blue herons lived in rookeries in Indiana. (So HA! I know something you don't know.)

I now know that blue herons do not spend their lives alone, there are about 145 blue heron rookeries in Indiana for about 7,000 birds, and Fort Harrison State Park near Indianapolis has one of the larger rookeries with 270 nests. (My source for this newsworthy information was reporter Chris Sikich (chris.sikich@indystar.com) and The Indianapolis Star. )

I don't know if there are herons there in the winter time. Not that I plan on visiting them before spring. I'm just wondering where they go when it's cold enough to freeze one's tail feathes off.