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Show Cormorant and Heron Colonies in Cache Valley, Utah By J. S. STANFORD! Cormorants and herons do some surprising things. They feed alone or in small groups on the fish, frogs and other life in streams and marshes and on rodents but they crowd and jostle and quarrel with each other in those few areas where nesting conditions are suitable. A high degree of inaccessibility is necessary for these gregarious nesting birds. Islands and thickets qualify well in this respect. A heron colony which the writer visited May 17th, 1931 was located on The the Cub River near Lewiston in dense hawthorn and willow thickets. the but A. h. were the Great Blue of nests highest Heron, treganzai, large smaller nests of the Snowy Egret, E. t. brewsteri, and the Black-crowned Night Heron, N. n. hoactli, were close by often, indeed, in the shadow of the large nests. Ground squirrel remains, C. armatus, were found by some of the few nests examined. A fledging Blue Heron was brought home and reared on fish, frogs, squirrels, etc. and it furnished considerable information and amusement concerning its habits and antics. Another colony of the three species of herons is similarly located in dense willow and hawthorn thickets on the Little Bear River near Wellsville. When visited it May 15th, 1937, the birds were incubating as several nests ex amined contained eggs. Linden Leatham, a zoology maj or and taxidermist, has known of this colony for several years. The cormorant-heron colony visited July 7th, 1936, at low water, was a lively place, the adults flying to the nests with food for the large fledglings. After climbing a whitewashed tree pictures were taken of the young birds and a young cormorant, P. a. auritus, was secured for study. Carp remains were found in and under a number of nests. Another visit to this colony April 28th, 1937 revealed the two species in cubating and reluctant to leave their nests especially during the snow storm then in progress. One hundred and twenty nests were counted with the bin we oculars. A dead heron was found hanging from a nest in a steel trap, no doubt set by a thoughtless boy. Mr. Peterson, on whose land the colony is located, stated that the birds have nested there since the trees were killed by the back waters of the Cutler dam. Some live willow trees are there and freely used however. The colony was raided several years ago, he stated, by men and boys who evidently had in mind the protection? of fish. Since these four species of birds are known to nest in a few areas in Utah- and are of much scientific and esthetic value and their food habits al though imperfectly known are in their favor they deserve protection. Contribution 2 from Logan, Utah. See Sugden, J. Wi. in a recent issue of the Department of Zoology, Utah Auk. Jul. '36; Woodbury-Behle. Condor, Vol. 39, p. 36, 1937. 195 State Agricultural College, Proc. Ut. Acad. '33; Marshall |
