Little Blue Herons, Snowy Egret, Monroe Co.

[LaRue Wells]

Late this morning (July 30) there were 2 immature Little Blue Herons and a
Snowy Egret inside the south dike at the Erie Marsh Preserve (Gun Club).  To
locate the birds go south from the parking lot past the pump and on out and
around the southwest corner of the Preserve, then proceed east on the south
dike.  As soon as you've gotten around the (wide sweeping) SW corner look
for breaks in the vegetation that allow you to look to the far side of the
strip of water on your left.  Today the Snowy Egret was just past the SW
corner.  A couple of hundred yards or so east of the SW corner there is a
short trail through the grass to the left that leads to the water's edge.
>From that point I saw the Little Blues on the far shore his morning.  But
they move around.  Darlene Friedman and Steve Santner saw one of the Little
Blues over with the Snowy early this afternoon, with the other Little Blue
still where I saw the two this morn.

I went on out to the southeast corner and also out near the spring, without
seeing anything else particularly notable.  The Gun Club is almost devoid of
shorebird habitat this year--too much water.  The only shorebirds were a few
Greater Yellowleg along the south dike.  I did see at least 3, and probably
4 or 5, Bald Eagles, plus an Osprey, today.

Tex Wells      Note:  I've put a few sticks at the beginning of the
aforementioned trail to the water's edge, to help in locating it.