Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) Allen T. Chartier
was suspected of nesting near Green Bay (Brown County) in the mid-1970s (Cutright et al. 2006). More recently, in the summer of 2005, Little Blue Herons were more numerous in Wisconsin than in many recent years (Svingen 2006), and may be the source, or at least the most likely path of entry, for recent records in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula.
Since the first record from Detroit in May 1882, the Little Blue Heron has been primarily a spring overshoot migrant and a post-breeding Lake Martin, Louisiana. 4/21/2005. © John Van Orman wanderer in summer and fall (Barrows 1912, Payne 1983). Although rare in Michigan during The Little Blue Heron is a fairly common the early 1900s, there were annual sizeable species of southeastern swamps and marshes, influxes of birds in Monroe County, as well as along the Atlantic coast north to southern New in the Toledo, Ohio area towards mid-century; England, in portions of the southern Great up to 85 birds were reported in this area in 1930. Plains in Oklahoma and Kansas, and in the Scattered additional individuals were reported southern portions of the Mississippi River throughout the southern Lower Peninsula drainage (Sibley 2000). They also breed in the (Wood 1951). Fewer records were published West Indies, throughout Central America to after this initial influx until the 1970s, when northern South America south to Peru, central there was a slight increase in reports, with Brazil, and Uruguay (Rodgers and Smith 1995). multiple records most years published in the Most often found nesting in mixed species Michigan Bird Survey between 1971-1978. heron rookeries, they are also sometimes found From 1986-2008 the species was recorded breeding in smaller numbers on their own nearly every year in varying numbers statewide, (Rodgers and Smith 1995). varying from zero in 2007 (Reinoehl 2007, Dombroski 2008, Dombroski 2008a) to eight The closest breeding Little Blue Herons to birds in 2006 (Reinoehl 2006, Dombroski 2007, Michigan are in Ohio at a colony on West Sister Dombroski 2007a). Most records are from the Island in western Lake Erie, which has been southern LP, particularly Wayne and Berrien occupied since 1983. This is the only Ohio counties, but the first UP record was a bird breeding locale and only 2-3 pairs are typically found dead in Baraga County on the extremely present at this location (Peterjohn and Rice late date of 17 November 2003 (Richter and 1991). In addition, there is a single Little Blue Chartier 2003). Additional UP records of live Heron nesting record in Vigo County of west- birds were noted in spring and summer of 2006 central Indiana (Castrale et al. 1998). About (Reinoehl 2006, Dombroski 2007). 750+ pairs nest at a single location in St. Clair and Madison counties in southwestern Illinois, During the MBBA II period, 28 records with sporadic nesting farther south in Alexander pertained to spring overshoot migrants and County; in addition, two pairs were found summer/fall post-breeding dispersers. One breeding in Cook County in the northeastern summer record from June and July 2008 was of part of the state (Kleen et al. 2004). These a single adult “holding territory” within a breeding areas may be the source of the nesting colony of Great Egrets and Black- increasing number of wanderers to southwestern crowned Night-Herons at the Saginaw Confined Michigan. In Wisconsin, the Little Blue Heron
© 2010 Kalamazoo Nature Center Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) Allen T. Chartier
Disposal Facility (D. Duso and M. Willard, University of Michigan Museum of pers. obs). This record meets the atlas definition Zoology. Ann Arbor, MI. for probable nesting, and is the first suggestion Peterjohn, B.G., and D.L. Rice. 1991. The of breeding evidence in the state. BBS trends for Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas. Ohio Department the region cannot be estimated as too few routes of Natural Resources. Columbus, OH. report the species. Continent-wide, trends are Reinoehl, J. 2006. Michigan Bird Survey: difficult to determine as Little Blue Herons are Spring 2006 (March-May). Michigan Birds difficult to detect when nesting, though most and Natural History 13(4): 203-229. evidence suggests that populations are stable Reinoehl, J. 2007. Michigan Bird Survey: (Rodgers and Smith 1995). Spring 2007 (March-May). Michigan Birds and Natural History 14(4): 143-167. Literature Cited Richter, D.L., and A.T. Chartier. 2004. First Upper Peninsula Records for Little Blue Barrows, W.B. 1912. Michigan Bird Life. Heron. Michigan Birds and Natural History Special Bulletin. Michigan Agricultural 11(2): 58-59. College. Lansing, MI. Rodgers, J.A., and H.T. Smith. 1995. Little Castrale, J.S., E.M. Hopkins, and C.E. Keller. Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea). In The 1998. Atlas of Breeding Birds of Indiana. Birds of North America, No. 145 (A Poole Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and F Gill, eds.). The Birds of North Division of Fish and Wildlife, Nongame and America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. Endangered Wildlife Program. Indianapolis, Sibley, D.A. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. IN. Alfred A. Knopf. New York. Cutright, N.J., B.R. Harriman, and R.W. Howe. Svingen, P. 2006. The Changing Seasons, 2006. Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Western Great Lakes. North American Birds Wisconsin. Wisconsin Society for 59(4): 600-602. Ornithology. Waukesha, WI. Wood, NA. 1951. The Birds of Michigan. MP Dombroski, L. 2007. Michigan Bird Survey: 75. University of Michigan Museum of Summer 2006 (June-July). Michigan Birds Zoology. Ann Arbor, MI. and Natural History 14(1): 19-38. Dombroski, L. 2007a. Michigan Bird Survey: Suggested Citation Autumn 2006 (August-November). Michigan Birds and Natural History 14(2): Chartier, A.T. 2010. Little Blue Heron (Egretta 55-83. caerulea). In Chartier, A.T., J.J. Baldy, and Dombroski, L. 2008. Michigan Bird Survey: J.M. Brenneman (eds.). 2010. The Second Summer 2007 (June-July). Michigan Birds Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. Kalamazoo and Natural History 15(1): 10-28. Nature Center. Kalamazoo, MI. Accessed Dombroski, L. 2008a. Michigan Bird Survey: online at:
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