Sunday, March 25, 2012

Great Blue Herons at the Riparian preserve

This Great Blue Heron is enjoying its meal; Riparian preserve, Gilbert, AZ; 12/26/2011.
Wherever there is water and fish to be found, you can be sure to find a Great Blue Heron. Likewise I saw a few at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, AZ, last December.

He is looking pretty satisfied after gulping down its midday meal.

3 comments:

Rave said...

I just found your blog while searching for a particular sounding bird. Could you help?

I just moved to Rockford 18 months ago, and last Spring I heard this bird...and now I hear it again.

I am not sure what it is...but it sounds like it says... 'Yoooo Hoooo'

A friend said it was a chickadee...but it doesn't sound like any chickadee I've ever seen (and my parents have chickadee's in their yard in OKLA and they don't sound like that, either).

Any guesses?

Thanks

jon said...

It's hard to interpret a bird song by spelling, but the Black-capped Chickadees that are very common around here have two distinct sounds: "chicka-dee-dee-dee" and a two note whistle that starts with a high note and followed by a lower note. I suppose those two notes could be deciphered as a "yoo hoo." Good luck with your ID.

Rave said...

Thanks, and yes, it does seem to be the black-capped chickadee.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id
has a 'sound' button. And that is what the (former) mystery bird sounded like!