Useful Online Resources

Natural History, Identification and General Species Information

• Birdweb, Seattle Audubon Society: Information on identification, natural history and distribution in Washington State.
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Natural history information and tips for watching great blue herons.
• Herons Forever: Natural history and information on the heronry at the Black River Riparian Area in Renton.
• All About Birds. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology: Information on identification, natural history, North American distribution and song recording.
• USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: Information on identification, natural history, North American distribution and song recording.
• Blue Heron Bibliography - California Academy of Sciences Library: Links to natural history websites and a list of books and videos on great blue herons.
• Animal Tracks of Humbolt County: Pictures of great blue heron tracks and natural history information.

Great Blue Herons on Video

• HERONcam: Video clips with live footage available during the breeding season from the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.
• Junglewalk.com: Many video clips, audio clips, pictures and links. Choose "Heron" from the alphabetical listing. 

Great Blue Heron Ecology: Research Groups, Management Reports and Online Journal Articles

• Washington Dept. Fish and Wildlife Priority Habitats and Species: Report - Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Species, Volume IV: Birds – the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias).
• Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program: Report - Breeding Inventory and Habitat Assessment of the Great Blue Herons in the Columbia River Basin.
• The Heron Working Group. Simon Fraser University: A consortium of individuals from university, government and conservation organizations interested in the conservation of the Great Blue Heron. Includes a list of publications, natural history information and links to other sites.
• Centre for Wildlife Ecology at Simon Fraser University: Research includes responses of breeding herons to disturbance from humans and predators, and the long-term impact such disturbances will have on the productivity and distribution of heron breeding colonies in British Columbia.
• Canadian Wildlife Service Species at Risk: Report – Species at Risk: The Great Blue Heron.
• Great Blue Herons in British Columbia: Report - Standardizing and interpreting nesting records for Great Blue Herons in British Columbia fromthe Canadian Wildlife Service.
• Great Blue Herons in the Georgia Basin: Report – Great Blue Heron, an indicator of wildlife sustainability in the Georgia Basin from the Canadian Wildlife Servie.
• Breeding Bird Survey. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• Christmas Bird Count. Data for 2002. National Audubon Society
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Great Blue Heron survey and protocol for local monitoring efforts in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
• Breeding Birds of the Platte River Valley, Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias): USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Summary of a survey of a colony located on the Platte River with information on impact of habitat alteration on reproductive success.
• Audubon Canyon Ranch, California. North Bay Counties Heron and Egret Project: Conducts research on great blue heron colonies in the San Francisco Bay area.
• Wading Bird Monitoring, Isla Alcatraz Project, Prescott College: Summary of wading bird survey at Isla Alcatraz, California.
• The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve: Summary of rookery monitoring at the Elkhorn Slough Rookery.
• US Fish and Wildlife Service. Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge: Monitors heron colony at the refuge.

Great Blue Heron Physiology: Research Groups and Online Journal Articles

• Disease in Great Blue Herons. Endangered Species Recovery Council: (PDF document) Brief summary of research into a disease called steatitis (Yellow Fat Disease) that is affecting birds in southern California.
• USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: Report - Biological and ecotoxicological characteristics of terrestrial vertebrate species residing in estuaries – the Great Blue Heron.
• Contaminant Exposure in the Great Blue Heron : USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Research paper abstract - Investigation of eggshell thickness and biochemical indicators of contaminant exposure in Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) from Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge.
• Environmental Health Perspectives: Volume 103, Supplement 4, May 1995, Research paper - Morphometric Abnormalities in Brains of Great Blue Heron Hatchlings Exposed in the Wild to PCDDs.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Press release - Reproduction of fish-eating birds unaffected by moderately contaminated fish, ORNL study shows.