Great Blue Heron

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Posted by Gary Stephan on 12:37:52 04/11/05

Yesterday at Arthur Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge I witnessed something that I've never seen before and was wondering if anyone knew of this behavior and could shed some light on it.
There have been Great Blue Herons nesting in trees just south of the first containment pond for the past few years.
Yesterday an adult Great Blue Heron ate the hatchlings in the nest. I don't know if it was a parent or another Great Blue. Do parents ever eat their young? Do Great Blues leave the nest to find food?
I'm sure of what I saw. The Great Blue ate 5 hatchlings in a row and the chirpping noise of the chicks became less and less until it was no more.

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Comments:	: Yesterday at Arthur Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge I witnessed something that I've never seen before and was wondering if anyone knew of this behavior and could shed some light on it. : There have been Great Blue Herons nesting in trees just south of the first containment pond for the past few years. : Yesterday an adult Great Blue Heron ate the hatchlings in the nest. I don't know if it was a parent or another Great Blue. Do parents ever eat their young? Do Great Blues leave the nest to find food? : I'm sure of what I saw. The Great Blue ate 5 hatchlings in a row and the chirpping noise of the chicks became less and less until it was no more.
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