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John
Audubon observes the Louisiana Heron
April 29
, 1832 - Beautiful Key in the Floridas
May 19,
1832 - Keys near Key West
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Audubon
writes in his Ornithological Biography, Volume III
of seeing the Louisiana Heron in Florida. In the
spring he comments that it is abundant in the Carolinas,
and at times seen as far east as Maryland. Portions of
his observations about the Louisiana Heron residence in
the Florida Keys appear below:
"This
species, which is a constant resident in the southern
parts of the peninsula of the Floridas, seldom rambles
far from its haunts during the winter season, being
rarely seen at that period beyond the Savanah in
Georgia to the eastward. To the west it extends to the
sedgy flats bordering the mouths of the Mississippi,
along the whole Gulf of Mexico, and perhaps much
farther south. . . . It is at all seasons a social
bird, moving about in company with the Blue heron or
the White Egret. . . "
April 29
, 1832 - Beautiful Key in the Floridas
"On
the 29th of April, while wading around a beautiful key
of the Floridas, in search of certain crustaceous
animal Florida lobster) called the sea Crayfish, my
party and I suddenly came upon one of the breeding
places of the Louisiana Heron. The southern exposures
of this lovely island were overgrown with low trees
and bushes matted together by thousands of smilaxes
and other creeping plants, supported by species of
cactus. Among the branches some hundreds of pairs of
these lovely birds had placed their nests, which were
so low and so close to each other, that without moving
a step one could put his hand in several. the birds
thus taken by surprise rose affrighted into the air,
bitterly complaining of being disturbed in their
secluded retreat. . . . Observing that many eggs had
been destroyed by the Crows and Buzzards, as the
shells were scattered on the ground, I concluded that
many of the herons had laid more than once, to make
their full complement of eggs; . . . The little island
of which I have spoken lies exposed to the sea, and
has an extent of only a few acres. The trees and
bushes within which it is covered seemed to have been
stunted by the effect produced by their having been
for years the receptacles of the Herons'
nests."
May 19,
1832
"On
the 19th of May, in the same year, I found another
breeding place of this species not far from Key West. The
young birds, which stood on all the branches of the trees
and bushes on the southern side of the place, were about
the size of our Little Partridge. Their notes, by which
we had been attracted to the spot, were extremely
plaintive and resembled the syllables,
wiee,
wiee, wiee.. When
we went up to them. The old birds all flew off to another
key, as if intent on drawing us there; but in vain, for
we took with us a good number of the young. . . .
May 24,
1832
On the
24th of May, these Herons were able to fly a short
distance. In this state we had difficulty procuring one
alive. . . Many were caught afterwards and taken as
passengers on board the Marion. They fed on garbage
thrown to them by the sailors; but whenever another
species came near them, they leaped towards its bill,
caught hold of it as if it had been a fish, and hung on
to it until shaken off by their stronger associates. On
several occasions, however the Ardea occidentalis (the
Great White Heron) shook them off violently, and after
beating them on the deck, swallowed them before they
could be rescued!"
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