{"id":7663,"date":"2013-04-10T16:00:39","date_gmt":"2013-04-10T20:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/?p=7663"},"modified":"2013-04-10T14:26:16","modified_gmt":"2013-04-10T18:26:16","slug":"great-blue-herons-live-up-close-and-personal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/2013\/04\/10\/great-blue-herons-live-up-close-and-personal\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Blue Herons, live, up close and personal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the gang at Sapsucker Woods. A still image from the webcam last spring.<\/p><\/div>\n

Newsflash for bird lovers: the Great Blue Herons are back on the nest at the Cornell webcam<\/a> site.<\/p>\n

You can see the lovely big birds, hear the sounds of early spring at the Ornithology Lab (including the occasional heron honk and squawk) and follow the live conversation among the pro-am group of birders who camp out online to follow the action moment by moment.<\/p>\n

I found having the site up\u00a0 at work, just to hear the sounds as the pond there returned to life, was a terrific stress-reliever. Last year, over the weeks, we saw the herons tidying and decorating the nest,then\u00a0 tending the eggs as they appeared day by day. There was a dramatic nighttime owl attack, great sibling interaction once the eggs had hatched, and of course, the young herons fledging.<\/p>\n

Herons are back in my bit of the North Country, too. And there\u2019s a rookery just a nice walk from my house. But the up close view from the webcam is just irresistible. Check it out.<\/p>\n