Kathleen Bridge, age 10, of Portland, Maine,

What kind of bird is the great blue heron?

This handsome bird, biggest of the American herons, can be seen from coast to coast. Summer finds him along secluded lakes and streams where he does his fishing  In winter he migrates to the areas near the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico, When nesting time comes around, the great blue heron often chooses an off shore island in some inland lake or river  He nests in a rookery with a host of friends and relatives 

Almost everyone who goes camping in the wilds or spends much time in the country outdoors gets a chance to see this beautiful bird and, when you see him, you cannot mistake him, From the tip of his long taloned toes to the white cap on the top of his graceful head, the great blue heron stands four feet tall  Ha has a wing spread of six feet and takes to the air in a slow, steady flight 

Some people call the huge bird a crane, but this is a mistake  The true crane flies with his long thin neck outstretched, The heron, like all his relatives, flies with his long neck curled in a tight s‑shape and his head tucked back on his moulders  From a distance, the big heron appears to be a very dark colored bird, But a closer view shows that his back and wing feathers are a soft, slaty blue  His sharp, yellow bill is six inches long and, when he defends himself, he uses it as a spear,

The soft feathers on the underside of the big heron are lightly washed with tones of buff and tan  His face and head are snowy white and his round, head is topped with what seems to be a most amazing pair of arrows  Actually, they are two long tails of black feathers which extend out beyond the back of his graceful head  The final touch of beauty is a cascading fringe of long, silken feathers drape over his humped shoulders and down around hip throat like a silvery blue shawl 

Like all the herons, he is a fisherman and built for wading and standing in the water  His long, blank legs are like stilts  The middle toe on each foot is equipped with a neat comb which he uses to groom the crisp taffeta plumage of his wings and the soft feathers of his neck and shawl  This comb is a horny ridge of small spikes on the underside of the toe 

Isis big nest is made of sticks and built on a cliff or high in a tree, nesting time is a social event and several herons may build their bulky nests in the same tree  Mrs  Heron usually lays her big bluish‑green eggs all at one time, Usually there are three of them  The new babies are quite helpless and they do not leave the nest until they are ready for their first flying lessons 

Both parents work hard to keep the hungry youngsters fed  They fly off to devour huge meals of frogs and fish, crayfish, water snakes and perhaps a few mice, The food is partly digested and then fed to the babies  This special bird pablum is called milk  One family grows up, then another and soon the busy, squawking rookery is deserted until next year