Green Herons

Three young Green Herons - hatched the week of June 26th, 2023.  

Extraordinary pictures by Chuan-Chu Chou.

Green Herons have been spotted in Brightwood Park, and also in Echo Lake Park,  in the late summer.  These images are not from NJ, but since the Green Heron has become the unofficial logo of the Friends of Brightwood Park, I thought it would be interesting to learn more about them.  These beautiful pictures are from James Napoli.   - karrie

 Although it is often difficult to see the greenish color unless the light is just right, adults have a glossy, greenish-black cap, a greenish back and wings that are grey-black grading into green or blue, a chestnut neck with a white line down the front, grey underparts and short yellow legs.  They usually sit motionless at the water's edge, waiting for their next meal.  Their preferred diet, like most herons, is small fish, though they will also eat frogs and aquatic insects.  Interestingly, they sometimes drop food, insects, or other small objects on the water's surface to attract fish, making them one of the few known tool-using species.     -Doug MacNeil