Sapsucker Blues: The Story of an Endearing Family of Great Blue Herons

by Anita Schmidt-Kyanka

High above Sapsucker Pond, a male great blue heron returns to his nest for the third year in a row. Together, he and his mate set out on a splendid adventure. In a nest as large as your bed, Mama Heron lays five beautiful blue eggs; people watching the live streaming video call the last one Fiver. But now they face dangers, including a blizzard in April and a hungry owl attack. Mama and Papa Heron work hard to bring their chicks into the world, and Fiver finally hatches. The herons grow too big for the nest and must learn to fly and hunt. After her siblings have learned how to fly, Fiver must leap from the nest--fifty feet off the ground. Can she do it? This educational wildlife tale describes the extraordinary lives of a family of great blue herons. Author and teacher Anita Schmidt-Kyanka follows their day-to-day events and challenges. Her original watercolor illustrations immerse children in the beauty of nature.

Genres: Nonfiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2013

Reviews

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to my dear friend, Nancy, for introducing me to the Great Blue Herons at Sapsucker Pond in New York in 2012. I was entranced for two seasons watching their nesting seasons on Cornell's bird cams. Little Fiver, the last heron to hatch in 2012 became a worldwide celebrity. Over two million people in 176 different countries held their breath as his parents fought off Great Horned Owls and sat on their nest for hours through winter blizzards. When Fiver hatched, we worried that he wouldn't get enough food since he had to compete with four bigger siblings. Two months later, everyone cheered when Fiver fledged.

This book is a wonderful introduction to Great Blue Herons for children and adults alike, along with a great true story about Fiver and his siblings. It is enhanced with beautiful watercolor illustrations by the author.

Check out Cornell's bird cams on this site: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/. There is no longer a bird cam for the herons who have not returned in several years, but the Red-tailed Hawk nest with Mama Big Red and Papa Arthur is fascinating. Hopefully they will return to one of their nests this year as there is loud construction going on nearby.