Photograph by Dr Nicholas Hellmuth, with a Nikon D5 camera, 800mm Nikkor prime telephone Nikon lens.
Waterbirds of Guatemala: Ardea herodias, the great blue heron
Ardea herodias, the great blue heron, is one of the common waterbirds around Lake Yaxha (Parque Nacional Yaxha, Nakum and Naranjo, PNYNN). We (FLAAR, USA and FLAAR Mesoamerica, Guatemala) achieved great photography of this great blue heron during field trips in coordination and cooperation with the two co-administrators of the park during 2018-2019.
This wading bird, Ardea herodias, is also present, though not as common, around the lagoons east of Monterrico, inland from the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala.
Waterbirds in Classic Maya art; paintings and sculptures
I am interested in all waterbirds of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras because a chapter in my PhD dissertation (on water-associated flora and fauna pictured in Classic Maya art) was on waterbirds that are painted or incised on vases and bowls and occasionally in murals and carved on stone stelae. So year by year we undertake field trips to find and photograph as many waterbirds as possible.
January 15, 16, and 17 we were doing waterbird photography in the Costa Sur area of Guatemala (the coastal lagoons, swamps, and marshes inland from the Pacific Ocean). We have 400mm, 600mm, and 800mm prime Nikkor telephoto lenses for our Nikon D810 and Nikon D5 cameras. For our new Sony alpha mirrorless camera we have a zoom lens that reaches 600mm. So each of the three photographers who were on this field trip had a camera available to them.
As soon as funds come our way, we will be preparing a complete photo essay publication on this great blue heron around Lake Yaxha and an additional photo essay on our photos of this Ardea herodias herons in the Monterrico area.
My experience with the great blue heron
This bird is easy to spot in spring and summer in the Missouri Ozark Mountain areas, so as a child I saw this bird frequently. These Ardea herodias herons were fishing in shallow-water of swamps on our family farm (swamps parallel to Sinking Creek).
Bibliography will be added later this week
Below is just one suggested book and several helpful websites that I have added to the bibliography by Marcella Sarti (FLAAR Mesoamerica). More to come later this week from bibliography manager Vivian Hurtado (FLAAR Mesoamerica).
- 1995
- Growth and energy requirements of hand-reared great blue heron (Ardea Herodias) chicks. The Auk. Vol. 112, No. 1. Pages 201-209.
Available Online:
www.researchgate.net/publication/234778771_Growth_and_Energy_Requirements_
of_Hand-Reared_Great_Blue_Heron_Ardea_herodias_Chicks
- 2016
- Ardea herodias. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.
Available Online:
www.iucnredlist.org/details/22696998/0
- 1993
- Time of breeding in relation to food availability of female Great Blue Herons (Arde Herodias. The Auk. Vol. 110, No.4. Pages 693-701.
Available Online:
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v110n04/p0693-p0701.pdf
- 2015
- Great Blue Heron. All About Birds. Cornell University. New York,
Available Online:
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory
- 2008
- Assessment and update status report on the Great Blue Heron fannini subspecies Ardea Herodias fannini in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
Available Online:
www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_great_blue_heron_0808_e.pdf
- 2005
- Ficha técnica de Ardea herodias subsp. Occidentalis. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de México. CONABIO.
Available Online:
http://bios.conabio.gob.mx/especies/8016476.pdf
- 1991
- Spatial relationships between nesting colonies and foraging areas of Great Blue Herons. The Auk. No. 108. Pages 764-770.
Available Online:
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v108n04/p0764-p0770.pdf
- 1990
- The Herons Handbook. London, Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd., England.
- 2014
- Recent switch by Great Blue Heron Ardea Herodias fannini in the Pacific northwest to associative nesting with Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) to gain predator protection. Can. J. Zool. No. 91. Pages 489-495.
Available Online:
www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjz-2012-0323#.WUgkBWiGPIU
- 2016
- Importance of Proximity to Foraging Areas for the Pacific Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias fannini) Nesting in a Developed Landscape. Waterbirds. Vol. 39, No. 2. Pages 165-174.
Available Online:
www.researchgate.net/publication/304670860_Importance_of_Proximity_
to_Foraging_Areas_for_the_Pacific_Great_Blue_Heron_Ardea_herodias_
fannini_Nesting_in_a_Developed_Landscape
- 1993
- Daytime and nighttime activity at a breeding colony of Great Blue Herons in a nontidal environment. Can. J. Zool. No. 71. Pages 1075-1078.
Available Online:
www.researchgate.net/publication/238029517_Daytime_and_nighttime_
activity_at_a_breeding_colony_of_Great_Blue_Herons_in_a_nontidal_
environment?ev=srch_pub
- 2008
- Utilizing the great blue heron (Ardea Herodias) in ecological risk assessments of bioaccumulative contaminants. Environ. Monti Assess. No. 157. Pages 199-210.
Available Online:
www.researchgate.net/publication/23312467_Utilizing_the_great_blue_heron_
Ardea_herodias_in_ecological_assessments_of_bioaccumulative_contaminants
- 2004
- Great Blue Heron. Ardea Herodias. Accounts and Measures for Managing Identified Wildlife.
Available Online:
www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/frpa/iwms/documents/Birds/b_greatblueheron.pdf
Suggested webpages with photos and information on Ardea herodias
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ardea_herodias/
Helpful information; not many photos but worth reading for the information.
www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-blue-heron
The award-winning photo here shows a pair in breeding plumage. Our photos
are not during breeding season; and one bird we estimate is immature.
https://ebird.org/species/grbher3
ebird.org is a helpful website because they cover thousands of species of birds. And they provide audio of its songs. So this website is best known for its audio recordings.
www.naturalista.mx/taxa/4956-Ardea-herodias
Lots of photographs.
First posted January, 2021
