Friday, September 13, 2013

The Elusive Avian

I've been trying to get a picture of this bird for a few years and I finally did. He/She occasionally appears at Pike's Ravine, at the corner of High Street and Beach Street, seeming to take a quick  rest before flying away towards Pameacha Pond.  He flew away too quick for me to capture an action shot, which would have shown quite an impressive wing span.

I'm no expert, but I call it the blue heron. Has anyone else seen a bird like this around town. Can anyone tell what type of bird this is?

8 comments:

Tree Fanatic said...

Great picture! I'm pretty sure it's a Great blue heron. There is an amazing rookery on the Portland side of the river -- when all together, they make an incredible amount of noise, but alone, they seem silent and aloof.

Anonymous said...

Think pterodactyl. :-) Love to watch these birds in flight, and on the prowl around the ponds. Blue heron it is.

David Bauer said...

Yes, Great Blue Heron, there are few regularly perched on the CT Riverfront @ Middletown's Sewage Treatment Plant. Another place in Middletown for regular sightings is the pond on Wesleyan Hills Road next to the Big Barn.

Steadyjohn said...

When the river is not too low I seem them on the Coginchaug behind Palmer Field:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70921665@N00/5826658890/in/photolist-9ST9G3

joseph getter said...

Also can be seen in Wesleyan Hills, such as in a small pond close to Long Hill Lane, across from the driveway to The Barns. Nice photos here.

Anonymous said...

Are we witnessing the beginnings of a "blue heron group"?

Anonymous said...

They hang out by that pond quite frequently. I used to live behind the pond and would often see them either low like that or sometimes up in one of the dead trees, looking a lot like a branch.

Christine O'Grady said...

I see them frequently, even saw one in a tree over by Vets Park. "They look like dinosaurs" my kids say..
I see them flying all the time over washington st. to go between butternut hollow and vets.

About a month ago, I saw another interesting water bird on Industrial Park Rd on a street lamp no less. It was an Osprey..gorgeous. Maybe I'll post.