Heron populations in general are in decline, and the green heron is a “common bird in steep decline,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology .
Green heron, hunting for minnows in Railroad Park. The recent study of the North American bird population lists a population decline in the family of herons, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology lists the green heron as a “common bird in steep decline.” Nonetheless, green herons have been coming to Railroad Park’s streams and ponds during the spring and summer ever since the park opened to the public in 2010. This past summer, two green herons were hatched in a nest in a wax myrtle tree along the pond that adjoins the park pavilion. (Source: Tom Gordon)