Green Heron Spotted at Lake Kittamaqundi

Patch reader Tom Lorsung sent us two photos Wednesday of a Green Heron he and his wife spotted strutting on the boardwalk next to Lake Kittamaqundi.

"We do a lot of bird watching on the Eastern Shore and don't see many Little Green Herons, even at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, so we were quite surprised to see this creature in downtown Columbia," said Lorsung.

Green Herons typically live in marshes, they have a velvet-green back, chestnut body and a dark cap that can be raised into a short crest, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. They are found as far south as Colombia where they stay year-round and as far north as Maine in the summer months, according to the Cornell Lab.

The birds typically hunt by wading in shallow water to catch fish, and are one of the few birds known to use tools. According to the Cornell Ornithology Lab, they use items such as bread crusts, earthworms and twigs to lure fish to them.