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	<a href="../toc.htm">Table of Contents</a>  >>&nbsp; <a href="6-11.htm">6.11 Bald Eagle Winter Roosts</a> <<  6.12 Heron Colonies  >> <a href="6-13.htm">6.13 Wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need</a></div>
<h2><strong>6.12 HERON COLONIES</strong></h2>
<h3><strong>BACKGROUND</strong></h3>
<p style="font-weight: bold">Herons nest in colonies  (colonial nesters) in mature trees in or near wetlands. Nesting birds tend to  be very sensitive to human disturbance.</p>
<p>Great blue herons are large wading  birds that nest in colonies of several to many pairs. Nesting colonies usually  are found near wetland and shoreline feeding areas, though they occasionally  will nest at some distance from wetland feeding areas. Most southern New Hampshire nests  occur in dead trees in beaver ponds. North Country  nests are usually in live white pines that tower above the surrounding  treetops. Heron colonies also may occur in mature live hardwoods on upland  sites. Heron colonies come and go over time; often as nesting snags fall and  trees lose their branches or as a nearby food source changes.</p>
<p>Human activity in the vicinity of a  nesting colony during the breeding season may lead to low productivity or abandonment;  distance from human settlements appears to be a significant factor in colony  site selection. Great blue herons will flush from nests in response to  intrusions at distances of roughly 400 to 600 feet early in the breeding season  (April through May) before incubation has begun, and at distances of roughly  100 to 300 feet during incubation and nestling periods.</p>
<h3><strong>OBJECTIVE</strong></h3>
<p style="font-weight: bold">Prevent disturbance or loss  of heron nesting colonies.</p>
<h3><strong>CONSIDERATIONS</strong></h3>
<ul>
  <li>Information on location and numbers of great  blue heron colonies across the state is lacking. Most of the known colonies are  located south of the White Mountains.</li>
  <li>Great blue herons are protected, as are all  migratory birds, under the federal <a href="http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/migtrea.html">Migratory  Bird Act of 1918</a>.</li>
  <li>Given the short sight distances of the birds and  the dynamic nature of nesting colonies in the northeast, past recommended  buffers appear to be larger and more restrictive than needed to protect heron  colonies.</li>
  <li>Road construction in the vicinity of a nesting  colony may result in nest abandonment. Nesting herons may tolerate vehicle  traffic on existing roads, but pedestrians visible from nests often present  more of a problem than traffic.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>RECOMMENDED PRACTICES</strong></h3>
<ul>
  <li>Within roughly 330 feet (5 chains) of an active,  occupied heron colony:</li>
  <ul>
    <li>Refrain from cutting live or dead nest trees.</li>
    <li>Locate roads and trails outside the buffer. If  not possible, avoid road construction, harvesting, and recreational activity  during the breeding and nesting season (April through August).</li>
    <li>Limit harvest activity to single tree or small  group selection harvests outside the breeding and nesting season.</li>
  </ul>
  <li>Increase the buffer distance if conditions make  it likely that nesting birds might be disturbed beyond the 330 foot buffer.</li>
  <li>Report heron-colony locations to the Nongame and  Endangered Wildlife Program at N.H. Fish and Game or <a href="http://www.nhbirdrecords.org">NH Bird Records</a>.<br>
    <img src="../assets/images/6_12a_000.png" width="582" height="224" hspace="40" vspace="10" align="middle">  </li>
  </ul>
<h3><strong>CROSS REFERENCES</strong></h3>
<p>4.2 Wetlands; 4.3 Forest  Management in Riparian Areas; 6.8 Beaver-Created Openings.</p>
<h3><strong>ADDITIONAL INFORMATION</strong></h3>
<p>Elliott, C.A.  1988. <span style="font-style: italic">A Forester's Guide to Managing Wildlife Habitats in Maine</span>. University of Maine  Cooperative Extension, Orono,   Maine.</p>
<p>Migratory Bird Act of 1918. <a href="http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/migtrea.html">http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/migtrea.html</a> Accessed on February 23,   2010.</p>
<p>N.H. Bird Records. <a href="http://www.nhbirdrecords.org">http://www.nhbirdrecords.org</a> Accessed on February 23,   2010.</p>
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