May 22, 2017 at 11:20 am
Biologists attach a GPS transmitter to Sedgey, a male great blue heron captured in Orrington.
Have you heard about “Sedgey,” one of five GPS-tagged great blue herons that IFW and students across Maine are tracking? Sedgey is a male tagged last spring on Sedgeunkedunk Stream in Orrington. He was named by the middle school students at Center Drive School, who helped biologists attract him to a trapping location. Here are some fun facts about Sedgey:
- He was the first tagged heron to migrate south for the winter, departing on September 1st.
- It only took him five days to get to his wintering area, north of Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
- During migration, he flew nonstop from Massachusetts to Georgia in 29 hours! He was clocked flying as fast as 59 mph, likely due to a strong tailwind provided by Tropical Storm Hermine. Herons typically fly 15-30 mph.
- He was the first tagged heron to return to Maine this spring, arriving on April 4th, taking only seven days to get back.
- He nested in Bradley last year, but this year he surprised biologists by nesting at a different colony in Brewer. Herons usually nest in the same colony year after year.
Sedgey migrated to Florida in September of 2016 (shown in dark pink), and returned to Maine this April (shown in light pink).
Do you want to follow our tagged herons online to see where they are nesting, feeding, and when and where they migrate? It’s easy! Just follow the instructions here.