IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES:

Little Blue Heron

HOW MANY:

1 adult

REPORTER:

Darren Clark
114 Elm Avenue
Rexburg, ID 83440
208 356-0026

REPORTER EMAIL:

clarkd@byui.edu

OTHER OBSERVERS:

Steve Butterworth

DATE REPORT PREPARED:

May 16, 2007

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED:

May 9, 2007

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION:

Minidoka Wildlife Management Area, which is near Rupert, ID

HABITAT:

River

CONDITIONS:

I observed the bird for about three minutes total. The bird was observed flying up-river, it never stopped and it eventually flew out of sight over Minidoka Dam. It was a sunny day, the bird was at times back-lit, but when it was flying away it was in good light. I had nikon 8x5 x 32 venturer binoculars. I was never closer than 40 yards and often much further from the bird.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?:

No, not at all

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?:

Yes, later the same day

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?:

National Geographic 3rd edition.

DESCRIPTION:

The bird was obviously a heron as could be determined by its long, tucked in neck and long legs. The bird appeared to be about the same size as the few Snowy Egrets I had seen that same afternoon. It appeared all slate/blue from the distance I saw it. The legs appeared dark as did the bill, but it was quite far away.

BEHAVIOR:

The bird flew from quite a distance down river, directly across from me over the middle of the river, and then kept going. The flight pattern was "heron like" deep/slow wings and a direct flight (not undulating up and down). It appeared to be a Great Blue Heron until I could determine size and color a bit better as it got closer.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU?

I identified the bird when it got close enough to see the color and determine size (maybe 30 seconds after I first detected it.) The identification was a little easier because three birders had located the bird on three different days prior to my sighting.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY?

Great Blue Heron was eliminated by the darker color of this bird, and smaller size. Reddish Egret was eliminated because of the uniform dark blue/slate color, where a similar marked Reddish egret would have been much lighter on the head and neck.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES):

I have seen hundreds if not more Little Blue Herons in Louisiana, where I lived for four years, and Florida, where I lived for a summer.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE:

I am a fairly experienced birder. I have been birding for 15 years or so.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?:

None