Some of the Great Blue Herons that lost their nests to the recent North Minneapolis tornado are renesting. The birds originally were on a small island in the Mississippi River offshore from the North Mississippi Regional Park near the Camden neighborhood. The island took a major hit when the storm swept through, all heron nests destroyed, and many herons killed. Chicks were the main victims.
About a dozen pairs of herons quickly moved a few hundred yards downstream, toward downtown Minneapolis, to another small island, and began building nests and laying eggs. It was a late start for them, but the birds are expected to successfully fledge youngsters in time for maturity by winter, fate permitting. The island is beside a plant generating electricity, and it difficult to see from shore. Herons like seclusion.
