According to a friend who was photographing the birds Tuesday, one of the nest trees in use by the Great Blue Herons at North Mississippi Regional Park fell over, taking about half a dozen nests with it. The literature I have (Birds of North America monograph series) says Great Blue Herons "may build new nests if early attempt fails." Failure is not defined. There are unoccupied nests, however, so, from my non-heron standpoint it wouldn't necessarily be a start-from-scratch effort. Incubation, by the way, takes about 27 days. Number of eggs averages four, can range from three to seven. One egg is laid every two to three days. It can take from two to six days for the full clutch to hatch. Males and females share incubation, females usually on the night shift. Adults average 54 minutes per hour on eggs, turning eggs about once every two hours. Age at first flight for the chicks is about 52 days. Copulation has been underway for several days. If a final egg were laid today, for instance, eggs would hatch around May 12, and the chicks' first flight would be late in the first week of July. The park stretches along the south side of the river in the Camden area. The visitors' center is at the 49th Avenue exit off I-94 West. The rookery is a 3/8-mile walk downstream from the center. Stay on the paved paths nearest the water. The best place for viewing is handicapped-accessible, although the pathways do slope now and then. In the photo, one of the herons rises from the island ground beneath the nests.
