go for the blue heron rookery - Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area With a good pair of binoculars, the breeding colony can be seen . According to North American Native tradition, the great blue heron brings messages of self-determination and self-reliance. North Andover, MA 01845 Phone: 978-946-2000 Email: news@eagletribune.com. Other birds recorded at Lake Renwick include great horned owls, American white pelicans, eastern bluebirds, purple martins and Baltimore orioles. Part of a wildlife corridor between Pleasant Valley and Pittsfield State Forest, and located within the Berkshire Wildlife Linkage Area. Also, it is common to see a bald eagle or two at Lake Renwickmost of the year. I go most every year in search of nesting herons. Length: 0.4 miles The stream that gave the sanctuary its name has been home to industrious beavers for more than 50 years. The return of beavers to Massachusetts, as well as more stringent protection of both the herons themselves and the wetlands they depend on,resulted in a huge upsurge in heron numbers. Hours Open daily from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. Great blue herons nest communally in "rookeries" or "heronries" containing up to 50 pair. The sanctuary lies within a state-designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern and supports moose, beavers, and porcupines, as well as nearly 100 species of birds and more than 240 plant species. What was she looking for? Turtle Journal usually works along side these magnificent birds during the summer as we do our marine turtle research in the salt marshes of Cape Cod and the South Coast. Its a rare treat to find a great blue heron rookery so close to home base. Hopefully, well be able to document hatching and then fledging of the next generation of great blues. Mass Audubon is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 04-2104702) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Heron Rookery (East) (U.S. National Park Service) Pets Permitted on a leash (6' or shorter). . This hike primary trail can be used both directions. Human disturbance is growing, as the area becomes better known to hikers, joggers, and fishermen. Until I have more information about breeding and nesting, I must remain awe-struck by the encounter and cannot definitively explain the phenomena. This astonished me. They nest from southeastern Alaska and central Canada, south through Florida and Mexico.