A natural spectacular is about to take flight

By Kathryn True and Maria Dolan
Special to The Seattle Times

	TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES Each February, great blue herons gather in the Black River Riparian Forest to court, mate and raise their young in the largest heron colony in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
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But a hint of sun is teasing color out of this sepia-toned wetland, and bright orange rosehips shine like forgotten ornaments alongside the rouge spikes of red osier dogwood. Listen carefully, and the song sparrow reminds you spring is only a month away, while the scent of warming mud excites a flock of robins.

There's coyote (or is it red fox?) scat on the trail — you can see the telltale bones of an unfortunate rodent — a reminder that this place is wild despite the occasional booms of the neighboring concrete recycling plant.

What's that hint of blue-gray in the distance? A smattering of waterbirds paddle and plunk, and above them, perched low in the trees on the opposite bank is the unmistakable hunch of a great blue heron, and another, and another — wrapped into their feathers like the cloaks of tribal elders.

The Black River Riparian Forest in Renton is open during daylight hours. Bring binoculars and waterproof shoes. Please leave dogs at home. Stay on the trail and do not approach the nest trees. Getting there: Take Interstate 405 just east of Southcenter mall to Exit 1. From eastbound 405, turn left off the exit ramp onto West Valley Highway, cross under I-405 and turn right on Southwest Grady Way. From westbound 405, turn right off the exit ramp on Interurban Avenue, and turn right at the next light onto Southwest Grady Way. In .6 mile, turn left on Oakesdale Avenue Southwest, and in another .6 mile, park on the right at Monster Road Southwest at the small pullout marked "Black River Riparian Forest." More information: www.heronsforever.org Nearby: Across the street from the Black River Riparian Forest is Waterworks Gardens. This unique blend of art, nature and technology uses wetland plants as a natural purifier to clean runoff water from the parking lots of the East Division Water Reclamation Plant. Wander over and past bubbling streams, ponds and a wetland ringing with bird song. Heron-related events • Black River heron field trip, March 13, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., free. Sponsored by Herons Forever and the Sierra Club. Meet at parking lot on the northwest corner of Southwest Seventh Street and Oakesdale Avenue Southwest. More information: 206-933-0222. • "Heron Monitoring and Advocacy 101," Seattle Audubon class, March 16, 7-9 p.m., plus field trips. Learn how to track great blue heron colonies. Don Norman, who has been monitoring herons since 1988, will teach how to draw colony maps, estimate productivity and translate this knowledge into helping to protect heron habitat. More information: 206-523-4483. • Heron Heroics, Seattle Audubon program, April 15, 7 p.m., free, Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 N.E. 41st St., Seattle. Heron expert Rob Butler is a research scientist with Canadian Wildlife Service and author of "The Great Blue Heron" and "The Jade Coast." More information: 206-523-4483. Other places to see herons • Kenmore Park & Ride, Kenmore. Birders might rename this spot "Park & View," as herons go about courting and caring for young in plain sight of commuters at the lot's north end. Up to 60 nests have been built here in the past decade — they're on private property, so bring binoculars. The Park & Ride is at 7346 N.E. Bothell Way. • Kiwanis Ravine, Seattle. This leafy, nine-acre stand of alder and maple provides an urban heron refuge in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood. View the activity at about 36 nests from a pedestrian bridge through the site. Also busy are the Heron Habitat Helpers, upgrading accommodations with native plantings and plans for a wildlife corridor from here to the nearby Hiram Chittenden Locks. The Ravine is just northeast of the Discovery Park main entrance. An annual Heron Homecoming Party takes place Feb. 24 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Discovery Park Environmental Education Center. More information: www.cityofseattle.net/parks/, 206-684-4075 or Heron Habitat Helpers at 206-284-6489 or e-mail info@heronhelpers.org. • Lake Sammamish State Park, Issaquah. This 512-acre park has one of the largest expanses of freshwater beach in our area, popular with both herons and humans. A large colony of about 100 nests blends into the scenery — to view it, go to the boat launch and look back toward the swimming beach. While here, watch for other birds including hawks, ducks and songbird species drawn to the park's woods, wetland and shoreline. Winter hours: 6:30 a.m. to dusk. $5 state-parks parking fee. Take Exit 15 from Interstate 90 and follow signs. More information: www.parks.wa.gov or 425-455-7010.

Each February these inimitable birds gather here in numbers nearing 300 to court, mate and raise their young. This is the Black River Riparian Forest, home of the largest heron colony in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. More than 135 nests bloom from the tops of black cottonwood trees, like a forest sprung from Dr. Seuss' imagination. The herons transform this Renton wetland into a springtime stage. Mike Hamilton, member of Herons Forever, the group that monitors and protects the Black River Riparian Forest, likens the view to orchestra seats at Benaroya Hall.

"When a wood duck or a sparrow leaves the nest, a few lucky people get to see them, but anyone who wants to see a heron fledge can go to the Black River and have the unique opportunity to see the natural world in process," he says.

This is indeed a rare performance. Herons' great size (they grow to four feet tall with a wingspan of up to seven feet) makes them easy to spot, even without binoculars. Listen for twigs snapping as a male tries to choose a branch that his mate will agree is a perfect addition to their nest. Watch as he ritually passes each stick to her for placement. You may see the courtship stretch, when a male advertises his attractiveness by raising his beak as high into the air as possible. What's called a bill duel is more of a duet, as male and female lock their beaks together and seesaw them back and forth to seemingly confirm their commitment. After the eggs hatch, visitors can hear the nestlings clamor for food, and from Memorial Day through the first part of September, witness their first brave attempts at flight.

Herons are homebodies

After watching a nesting colony, it's easy to understand why the Seattle City Council named the heron the official city bird in 2003. Council members and birders hoped to raise awareness of urban nature and foster stewardship for the great blue heron and its habitat.

"Our local herons are a subspecies that don't exist anyplace else on the planet," says Herons Forever president and Heron Coalition member Suzanne Krom. "The vast majority of these estimated 10,000 pairs live in the Puget Sound and in the Fraser River Valley in B.C. — areas that have both experienced tremendous growth in the past 25 to 30 years."

Called the coastal or Pacific heron, these birds are the only herons that do not migrate. Heron watchers see a connection between the continued loss of farmlands and wetlands and the herons' decline. Herons, especially young birds still honing fishing skills, depend on the small mammals and amphibians found in these dwindling habitats.

"Herons are near the top of the food chain, so the health of the eco-system is reflected in their health," says Kate Stenberg, wildlife biologist. Stenberg explained that there has not been consistent monitoring of Washington's coastal herons, but Canadians report a 6 percent decline in their populations. Urban-dwelling herons face many obstacles, from storm-damaged nest trees to predation by bald eagles, from fireworks to continued industrial and commercial development. With the abandonment of many large local colonies over the past several years (on Maury Island, in Auburn and Federal Way), several environmental advocacy groups formed the Heron Coalition to try to piece together the big picture of regional heron health.

"There are some really important connections we haven't made yet between open space and wildlife," says Don Norman, a wildlife consultant who did his masters thesis on great blue herons. "We haven't come up with a solution for integrating wildlife into our urban habitat."

Birds vs. buildings

This is not a new problem. What's now the Black River Riparian Forest is a wetland remnant of the formerly winding Black River, which flowed out of the south end of Lake Washington and merged into the Green River, eventually joining the Duwamish. The Duwamish people had a village on the Black River for at least 1,500 years, and Native Americans watched their canoes bottom out as the river emptied during the dredging of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. In 1916, the lowering of the lake permanently drained the Black River, leaving that year's salmon run flopping in puddles. Like the settlers who flocked from miles around to stuff their catch into gunny sacks, the ancestors of today's herons would have had easy fishing that day.

Although the Black River colony has grown since it was first identified in 1986, it, too, faces the uncertainty of development. A hillside adjacent to the nursery trees is slated to be cleared for 65 homes.

"I want people to appreciate how lucky we are to see herons so frequently in this area and to never take it for granted," says Suzanne Krom. "Every year it's such an inspiration to see them prevail over everything."

Kathryn True of Vashon Island and Maria Dolan of Seattle are co-authors of "Nature in the City: Seattle" (The Mountaineers Books, 2003).

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