Date: 1/20/26 10:04 am From: <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> Subject: Herons and Egrets
Herons and Egret Habitat Consideration
Jerry Wayne Davis
January 19 2026
When it comes to herons, egrets, pelican, and shore and wading birds there is an important habitat element needed and one most critical is food. My brother has a ¼ acre pond with fish and it is seldom one cannot see herons or egrets there. One year migrating white pelicans stopped and fed for a week. Arkansas has 49,346 Farms and Oklahoma has 70,378 farms, and this does not include the hobby farms and homes with acreage. It would be safe to assume that most of these farms have one or more ponds. Arkansas and Oklahoma have suffered different degrees of drought for several decades. Possibly the worst and most recent was the two-month drought in 2022. Many of these waters dried up and fish, frogs, crayfish and other invertebrates were lost. These were important bird feeding habitats now gone. Even when they refilled when rains returned, the food source was not there. How often do you see a pond with herons and egrets feeding or the lack thereof? One reason that you do not see herons and egrets in these waters is that there is no food for them. Or you may see birds trying to find food in waters that you know are devoid of such. This is disheartening to know the birds are wasting time and energy fishing with no potential for success. As you see waters without these birds, ask yourself is that because the food is not there? Seventy-five percent of the bird species in North America are in significant decline. The destruction of wetlands and similar habitat has not helped species depending on them. Do you know of ponds that lost their food supply? You can you make them productive habitats by restocking them with fish, crayfish, and frogs? There are natural supply locations and commercial sources where you can obtain fish, frogs, and crayfish for restocking. The first step to solving a problem is to realize that a problem exists. Our birds need your help to provide the solutions. Do you know or recognize a way you can help? If so, do it.
