Davis Slough Heronry
- Status: Protected, 2003
- Location: Northeast Camano Island
- Acreage: 31 acres
Public Benefits
Critical nesting and breeding habitat, native forest community, wildlife habitat
Description
The Davis Slough Heronry, home to more than 600 adult Great Blue Herons, is located on Camano Island between the rich feeding grounds of Skagit Bay and Port Susan Bay. The Davis Slough herons can be seen stalking small fish and other prey in tidal areas and wetlands along shoreline areas of Island, Snohomish and Skagit Counties. With over 50% of the Puget Sound’s breeding population concentrated in just five colonies, this Camano Island heronry is extremely important to protect to ensure the future survival of the great blue heron in our islands. The Davis Slough colony is the only heronry on Camano Island and the largest in both Island County and the Skagit Bay-Port Susan Bay area.
Directions
This site is not open to the public due to the extreme sensitivity of these herons and the critical importance this site is to their future survival. Although their “bedroom” is closed to public access, these herons can be seen in their “living rooms”, “dining rooms” and “kitchens” at all times of the year on the shorelines, wetlands and meadows of the islands.
Project Story
Davis Slough - one of Puget Sound's largest heronries… and growing
Imagine a place where large, majestic great blue herons gather to raise their families in peaceful tranquility. In 2003, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust saved such a place thanks to the generosity of nearly 550 donors and the help of the Friends of Camano Island Parks. After having been forced out of nearby nesting sites over the years, herons now come to this one precious stand of trees near Davis Slough. Each year, more birds come to this ideal Camano Island site. As a result, the heronry has expanded from 30 nests in 1991 to over 188 nests in 2003 and now more than 300 nests. It is one of the five largest Great Blue Heron nesting colonies remaining in Puget Sound and it is now permanently protected from development. The size of the heronry grows with the amount of food available nearby. Davis Slough is the only heron rookery on Camano Island and the largest rookery in both Island County and the Skagit Bay-Port Susan Bay waterway.
Herons are adept at weaving nests in high tree canopies. With long toes, they grip branches and twigs and construct nests side-by-side, "condominium" style. The Davis Slough Heronry is in an ideal location, being close to the rich feeding grounds of Skagit Bay and Port Susan Bay. It is also relatively isolated from humans and predators. Now that it is protected, biologists believe the Davis Slough Heronry will continue to grow and thrive as herons from other colonies in the Sound are forced out by development and other disturbances. To ensure the heronry will thrive, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust purchased 31-acres including all heron nests, room for nesting expansion, and an essential buffer area that will help maintain the privacy this species craves.
The property will be owned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and managed as part of the Skagit Wildlife Area as heron nesting habitat. A conservation easement, held by Island County, will encumber and ensure protection of the property. This legal document will prohibit development, hunting and public access from occurring on the Davis Slough property. The Friends of Camano Island Parks, a local group, will help to manage the site and keep it secure for the herons.
