This is one of the largest birds that can be seen along the rivers and wetlands in Leavenworth and the North Central Washington area. When this big bird flies, notice the deep, labored wingbeats, so slow that you can easily count them. Most of the year we see only one heron at a time, because they are solitary except during the breeding season.

This tall, gray-blue bird with the long neck, white head and a black stripe above the eye is often perfectly camouflaged as it stands motionless in the water. It is waiting for prey to come within striking distance, and will eat whatever it can catch & swallow, including fish, salamanders, crabs, crayfish, grasshoppers, aquatic insects, and mice.

The adults in breeding plumage have yellow bills and long neck plumes. Herons often nest in colonies. The large, flat nest made of sticks is placed high in a tree or on a bridge or rock ledge. Both sexes incubate the eggs, usually 2 or 3, for about 28 days, and tend young until they can fly after another 60 days.