Bird
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Common Names
Blue Crane, Blue Heron
Habitat
Rivers, estuaries, and wetlands, particularly along the lower Columbia River
First Observed
1805-11-15
Observed At
Along the Columbia River near the Pacific Coast, present-day Oregon
Lewis provided detailed descriptions of “the large blue and brown herons, or Crains as they are usually called in the U States,” noting they were found below tide water on the Columbia River. He carefully distinguished them as water-dependent birds in his March 1806 natural history observations. Clark also documented these birds among species that “obtain their Subsistence from the water” alongside fishing hawks, kingfishers, and gulls.
Journal References
8 journal entries mention Great Blue Heron
Aug
2
1804
Lewis: August 2, 1804
...st 2ed 1804. This day one of our Hunters brought me a white Heron.
this bird as an inhabitant of ponds and Marasses, and feeds upon tadpoles,
frogs, small fish &ct...
Aug
25
1804
Lewis: August 25, 1804
...eek that passes this mound about 2 M.
distant S. a bird of heron kind as large as the Cormorant short tale long
leggs of a colour on the back and wings deep copper...
Nov
21
1805
Clark: November 21, 1805
November 21st Thursday 1805 a Cloudy morning most of the Indians left us, The nation on the opposit Side is Small & Called Clap-soil, Their...
Nov
30
1805
Lewis: November 30, 1805
November 30th 1805. cloudy morning set out before sun rise and continued our rout up the bey Sent out three men to examin the country...
Mar
5
1806
Clark: March 5, 1806
...r Subsistence from
the water, are the large blue and brown heron, fishing Hawk, blue crested
fisher, Gulls of Several Species of the Coast, the large grey Gull of ...
Mar
6
1806
Clark: March 6, 1806
...ve it not in our power to precure.
The large Blue and brown Herons or crains as they are usialy called in the
U States are found below tide water. they are the Same...
Mar
6
1806
Lewis: March 6, 1806
...r subsistence
from the water, are the large blue and brown heron, fishing hawk, blue
crested fisher, gulls of several species of the Coast, the large grey gull
of...
Mar
7
1806
Lewis: March 7, 1806
...elt himself better in the evening.the large blue and
brown herons, or Crams as they are usually called in the U States are
found on this river below tidewater. the...
