I keep hearing more and more reports from inland Ohio of little blue
herons, as many as four of them yesterday here in Hoover Reservoir. It's
reminiscent of the 1920s and '30s, when their numbers were recovering
from plume hunting, and young birds often showed up in Ohio in late
summer and early fall.  Hicks undertook a census, and counted 1185 young
little blues in the state between 7/19 and 9/24 in the year 1930 alone;
not a single adult bird was reported during that entire period
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v043n04/p0268-p0281.pdf  .
The first Ohio nest was not documented until 1983, in the NW. These
nests remain scarce, and adult little blues are rarities in Ohio,
especially away from the Lake. These and other recent inland reports of
immature birds may echo whatever it was that caused so many to show up
80-90 years ago. See Peterjohn's p. 30, and keep an eye out.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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