In class this term, I have been studying biodiversity in Lowell and throughout the Gulf of Maine watershed. One animal we have been focusing on is the Great Blue Heron. One day when we were doing work along the Concord River Greenway, we saw a Great Blue Heron. While we were observing the bird, we took notes. After observing the bird, we did a research assignment about the Great Blue Heron to learn more about the bird.
The bird moves to and from the Gulf of Maine watershed. The Great Blue Heron is a top predator in the aquatic food web. It feeds day and night on small mammals and insects. The Great Blue Heron represents a healthy environment. I enjoyed having field work assignments because I was able to move around and observe the nature around me. Doing field work encouraged me to become more observant and engaged about my surroundings. I think recording my observations and other information in the field journal was cool because you could go back and look at things you wrote before and see the changes in your observations and ways of thinking.
This is a picture of double crested cormorants from the Concord River Greenway.
Fascinating. It's great that you were able to get close enough to the Great Blue Heron to really observe it and make note of its features. There are a couple of them who hang out near one of the canals in Lowell, where it runs into the Merrimack River. It's fun to watch them "fishing" for dinner.