Brenda Cunningham, the Skagit Land Trust stewardship director, shows the shell of a heron egg.

Herons raise their young on March Point

MARCH POINT — Birds of a feather flock together.

That is exactly what great blue herons do in the trees of the March’s Point Heronry.

About 40 people showed up to take part in a tour of the Skagit Land Trust’s portion of the heronry on a chilly, overcast Saturday morning.

The Skagit Land Trust was founded in 1992 to protect wildlife habitat, wetlands, agriculture and forest lands, and scenic open spaces and shorelines throughout the mainland and islands of Skagit County.

The 40 braved the steep and sometimes muddy trail to see the nests firsthand. Many stayed after the tour to plant maple and fir trees in the hopes they will become future great blue heron nesting sites.

There’s no fanfare proclaiming the heronry’s existence. No signs, no blinking lights. Just a large, privately-owned one-time gravel pit whose owners graciously allow access to members of the Skagit Land Trust.

The heronry sits atop a bluff overlooking the old pit in a semi-dense forest of big leaf maple, cedar and various fir trees. A sawmill goes about its business as traffic buzzes along the two-way stretch of March’s Point Road that runs below the heronry’s east flank.

On the west side of the hill, Highway 20 takes motorists toward Anacortes. Motorists zip by the site and never have a clue as to what lies within the area’s confines.

“I drive for Coca-Cola and come by this place all the time,” said Mark Hinchen of Camano Island. “I had no idea it was here.”

Two people who certainly know what inhabits the forest are Jim and Laverne Scheltens of Anacortes. In regards to the heronry, they are the eyes and ears of the Skagit Land Trust. They’ve volunteered their time for the past several years.

“We keep a watch out,” Jim said. “If we drive by and notice something suspicious going on, we call up the proper authorities. But we’ve had no trouble so far.”

Shells from heron eggs are found throughout the heronry.

In late May, the area bustles with herons either sitting atop a clutch of eggs or busy raising their young. About 600 nests have been counted.

“It’s an incredibly noisy place,”said Brenda Cunningham, Skagit Land Trust stewardship director. “You’d be amazed. And the smell. The road is white (with droppings).”

If one knows exactly where to pull off and stop along March’s Point Road, nests can be seen from the shoulder.

“The first time you see it, it’s impressive,” Jim Scheltens said. “You can see the herons come in.

One day they aren’t here, the next day they are. It’s just like that. It happens that fast.”

The heronry consists of four parcels of private property — one of which is owned by the trust.

It’s not just one or two nests in a tree. It’s five, 10, 15 or more. Practically every branch capable of supporting a nest does so.

“I am amazed how dense their nests can be,” Hinchen said. “I’m amazed how big they are. I guess they just keep building and adding on.”

Skagit Land Trust member and Anacortes resident Carol Kyle had never visited the heronry before.

“I’m not really surprised,” she said about the number of nests. “I’ve talked to a lot of people who have seen it firsthand. But this really puts it into perspective.”

Even flimsy limbs are built upon. The evidence lies on the ground — heaps of twigs sent crashing downward with the snap of a limb.

Once the group negotiated the steep trail and reached the heronry, Cunningham stopped and pointed skyward.

“This big leaf maple tree right here has 16 nests in it,” she said. “It is one of the most populated in the heronry. But it is getting old and its branches are beginning to break.

“Herons seem to seek out maples because of their massive crowns,” she added.

The nests appear too small to support a pair of adults and their offspring.

Looks can be deceiving.

Several nests that had fallen to the ground were spacious and intricately built.

“They have pretty substantial nests,” Cunningham said. “They are very densely packed structures. It doesn’t take much. If there is enough to the nest to support eggs, they’ll use it.”

Nests run the gamut in terms of size. Determining factors include if the herons have been adding onto the nest year after year and how fastidious they were in the original construction.

“The female builds the nest,” Cunningham told the skyward-gawking group, “and the male supplies all the material. I guess she wants it done right. They can look a little spindly. In fact, there have been biologists come through to observe the herons and they were able to see the eggs through the nest.”

Jim Scheltens said it’s entertaining to watch the herons begin the process of refurbishing an existing nest or building a new one.

“They can take 20 minutes just to place one stick,” he said. “It’s fun to watch.”

Not only are nests scattered about on the ground, so are the bluish shells of hatched heron eggs — and bones.

“Blue herons usually lay between three and five eggs,” Cunningham explained. “Usually in two- or three-day intervals. The first egg is usually the largest and they get progressively smaller from there. About two will survive.”

A high mortality rate is understandable.

“Eagles and crows are always looking for opportunities (to grab a hatchling),” Cunningham said. “Then they can simply fall out of the nest as well.”

An adult carcass was wedged high in a maple tree, its body resembling more branch than bird. Its beak was wedged between limbs.

How many blue herons take up residency during the nesting season? For a rough estimate, consider 16 nests in one tree, two adults per nest and at least two offspring. That’s 64 birds in that one tree.

So why here?

As Cunningham said, “It’s location, location, location.”

March Point is located between three major marine bays (Fidalgo, Padilla and Similk). Combine those areas with the farm fields of the lower Samish and Skagit deltas and one gets a heron smorgasbord of fish, frogs and small mammals.

The rich habitat provides enough food for adult herons as well as hungry chicks.

“There is just this little island of forest surrounded by great big mud flats and farmland,” Cunningham said. “That’s a great combination if you are a heron.”

Great blue herons have been nesting at the site since the late 1970s. In 1984, 42 nests were counted on the Skagit Land Trust’s chunk of land. This year that number ballooned to 198.

“It’s pretty cool,” Hinchen said. “I’ve been out here several times doing (nest) counts and it’s always interesting. There’s no doubt I’ll be back again.”

Just like the herons.

For more information on the heronry, go to www.skagitlandtrust.org.

Vince Richardson can be reached by phone at 360-416-2181 or by e-mail at vrichardson@skagitvalleyherald.com