A Full Circle Moment With Great Blues

Sterling Nature Center

Beyond seeing family, a major goal of my trip to New York was a visit to Sterling Nature Center.

Friends of Sterling Nature Center describe the area as follows:

“Our location is in the stunning northeast corner of Cayuga County, New York. Our extensive 1,400-acre area offers a multitude of options for our visitors. In 1998, in collaboration with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, the county implemented conservation easements to safeguard Lake Ontario's shoreline, wetlands, and other vulnerable areas.”

A “bucket list” stop for me, it is known to support a Great Blue Heron Rookery. It was an opportunity to see where our overwintering herons return to raise their young.

Once again, I dragged my sister along for my birding adventures. We could not have picked a worse day to make the trip. The early morning departure was bitterly cold, windy, and ominously dark. After an hour and a half drive, we arrived. Although it was noted the visitor area opened at 8 am, there was no one present. Eventually, some ladies arrived on the scene and pointed the direction to the Heron Trail.

We bundled up and set out to find the rookery. It was an “over the woods and through the hills” type of moment. The trail was well maintained and offered a variety of terrestrial bird species flitting through the barren trees. This is Spring in Upstate NY!

Heron Trail

Along the trail, a small pond appeared off to the left. Canada Geese glided through the pond with a familiarity only they knew. Nest boxes were placed inside the water for the beautiful Tree Swallows to use.

Tree Swallow

Further on the trail we found our destination. A small platform jutting into the water on the precipice of a tree-lined body of water. In the distance were the haunting structures of the rookery.

The Great Blue Heron Rookery

At first look, I was sure that we had chosen a bad time to visit the site. We were freezing and the birds were nowhere to be seen. Alas, I was wrong!

Great Blue Heron Sitting on Nest

A closer look with the Canon lens showed the familiar yellow bill of a Great Blue sitting on eggs in the nest. Four visible nests had adults incubating eggs and one nest was under construction.

Adult Great Blue Heron After Delivering a Stick to the Nest

Frequent trips were made between the nests with a few fishing trips in between.

Great Blue Heron on Foraging Mission

We were lucky to witness partner exchanges for nest duty.

Great Blue Heron Incubation Exchange

My sister picked out the lone American Bald Eagle roosting in the tree beyond the nests.

American Bald Eagle

Several Belted Kingfishers fed in the area around the rookery. This is another species you will recall overwinters in Anguilla. I suspect they nest in the banks of nearby Lake Ontario.

Belted Kingfisher

Eventually, the skies darkened and temperatures dropped to an unbearable level and we moved back toward the parking area. We were just in time as it started to pour.

In summary, it was a great experience to visit this site. I would have preferred a day with better light. If you are a photographer, I expect the afternoon light will be much better for viewing the nests.

While a new visitor center officially opened this week, signs that show the trails are not displayed. You are at the mercy of staff arriving and sharing a paper map. I assume this is because it is a volunteer organization with limited funds. First-time visitors would benefit from better signage near the parking area or visitor center.

On a brighter note, I picked up a lifer bird on the trip. Can you name this species?

I hope to return to this site in the future, to see the chicks in their nest!

Have you visited Sterling Nature Center? I would love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

Apologies for the poor quality of the photographs!