Whether Moocher or Messenger, Homeowners Share its Habitat

"Sometimes the only way you know a species is local is to find a dead one," says Monroe Animal Control Officer Ed Risko. That was the case a few months ago when a mountain lion was killed by an SUV on the Merritt Parkway in Milford.

Its demise ignited the debate "Are there or aren't there mountain lions living in Connecticut?"

Keeping an eye on all animals within Monroe's 26 square miles, Risko sees signs of wildlife most residents have no idea are neighbors.        

Look up at just the right moment and you can't miss one of the town's most elegant residents with its six-foot wing span soaring across a patch of open sky. Blink and the bird will be gone.

Local anglers know them well as moochers after bait and catch, and therein lies their downfall. 

Before Tropical Storm Irene hit, a Great Blue Heron was found dead over on Block Farm Road. The once beautiful bird had severe leg injuries. However, it had starved to death.

"These birds are opportunistic feeders," said Risko. "The bird just swallowed whole a fish too big for it, and it got caught in its throat."

It was a tough death for a beautiful bird heralded in Egyptian mythology and American myth as a messenger of the Gods and mythological bearer of good luck.

Legend has it that as they skim the water's surface hunting for fish in the dark of night, they pull feathers from their breasts and sprinkle them in the water below. The feathers begin to glow with a phosphorescent light illuminating the schools of fish and enabling the sharp-eyed birds to dive and dine.

The birds love fish, which brings them into close proximity to Monroe fishermen. Occasionally, they even befriend a fisherman associating him and his gear with food. Some will wait patiently for tidbits and throw-backs.

Others will dive into the water after a hooked fish and swallow it whole, hook and all, or take a spinnaker that looks like a minnow. The huge birds catch hooks in their wings as they swoop through fishing lines cast from shore. Their legs tangle in discarded cat-gut. 

Injured, choking, the great birds are doomed to succumb to other predators unless their predicament is reported to Animal Control. They can be rescued and rehabilitated if found. 

Risko has found only four or five birds in Monroe in the past 10 years. All were dead or had to be put down except one, which was delivered with an injured wing to a rehabilitator. It was healed, banded and returned to the wild. 

Adult birds can live 15 years or more. The young are not so lucky with a 69% mortality rate the first year of life and 36% the second year. They are not, however, on the endangered list, yet. But their natural habitat is shrinking. Monroe has some 744 people per square mile and is growing. Its current Great Blue Heron count per square mile is unknown.

"I remember when we used to see the birds all the time over in the Moose Hill-Mohegan Road area," said Assistant Animal Control Officer Roger Tavella. "There used to be a pond over there. Then development happened. The water is gone now."

Most of Monroe's Great Blue Herons begin to migrate south in September and October with some spending their winter in the Caribbean. A few hearty birds may opt to stay in Monroe along the unfrozen rivers and lakes. The vacationing birds will begin to return in March to take mates and build nests in Monroe's tallest trees near water. 

How residents can help Monroe's herons 

Enjoy them from afar, if you happen to see them. Don't interact.

Take part in efforts to protect and clean up Monroe wetlands and waterways. When these areas are polluted or destroyed, herons have no place to build nests or find food. 

Pick up all litter, especially broken glass, plastic bags, kite strings, fishing lines and tackle. These items can hurt and can kill Great Blue Herons, as well as other birds and mammals.

Clean up after your dogs. When you don't, the waste gets washed into the water supply and pollutes the water.

Be aware. If you see a Great Blue Heron or any injured animal that needs help, call the main line at the Monroe Police Department (203) 261-3622.

"Helping any injured animal is the important thing," said Risko.

According to Risko, "injuring an animal is usually a no-fault situation." When a wild animal collides with civilization, it's usually the animal that suffers. 

"Besides, in the case of a deer kill, the motorist may need a police report for the insurance company," he said. "Never be afraid to report an animal encounter."