Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodius

Size: 42-52"

Habitat: in and around water

Notes:
These large and majestic birds may be seen wading in the shallows, hunting fish and frogs. They are not as uncommon as you might think but watch from a distance as they do not like to be approached.



Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron

Similar but smaller all-white egrets are actually quite common. Night Herons, smaller and usually dark green or brown, prowl around boat docks and tidal flats in the dark.

White Egret
White Egret
Night Heron
Night Heron ( the neck is long, but this is normally not evident. )

Shrimp

Shrimps live in all habitats from freshwater lakes to salt marshes to the deep ocean. The illustration at right shows a "Grass Shrimp, " however, there are too many types of shrimps to even begin to list them. Shrimps grow from 1" to 8", depending on the species.

Most numerous in our inshore waters are tiny Shore Shrimps or Grass Shrimps, Palaemonetes spp. which are similar to the picture, but only 2" long, and transparent or largely so.