The Last Bass and Black-crowned Night Herons (Bad News & Good News)

[PAUL ROBERTS]

Tonight I returned home to a Friday evening repast of pizza and beer, In absolute joy, I poured my last bottle (perhaps ever) of Bass Ale, a favorite brewed beverage that is apparently no longer available in the Boston (or American) market. It has not been made in the U.S. or apparently imported for over a year. This was "My last Bass," which I had saved for some unique unknown celebration.

    The reason I drank it tonight after saving it for months was because Julie and I visited the Mystic Lakes tonight and saw the most Black-crowned Night Herons I have seen in decades. I can't give you an exact count because they were everywhere and I was focused on just soaking that in. 15-20 perched in the Osprey Tree with people telling me more had  been there before I had arrived. 7 flying up from the eastern point. 5 on a boat moored on the dock. 5 or 6 on the diving float in the Upper Lake. Every corner of the sky had several night herons in it. It was wonderful.  

     I've long been a "Jeremiah" on Black-crowneds in Massachusetts and New England. In the 1970s the upper Mystic River was jammed with Black-crowneds in June, feeding on the herring spawning in the river and the lower lake. (Picnicking on the Charles in Brighton with my wife and children in the 80s, we saw flotillas of Black-crowneds coursing up the Charles to the Watertown Dam.) This was long before every American walked one or more dogs every morning, so the herons rarely were flushed from roosting, watching and feeding. It was one of the real benefits of moving so close to the Mystic River.

     However, I never see numbers now like I did then, especially along the upper river and lower lake. The "recently" updated Birds of the World (2020) says Black-crowneds are the most widespread heron in the world. "Currently, populations in some areas are declining for a variety of reasons, mostly habitat-related, prompting a handful of states to list the species as threatened or endangered. With a few exceptions, however, North American populations are generally considered to be stable or increasing." Based on my personal experience largely in Massachusetts  and recent reading, I find that very hard to believe. Those who have not read Katherine Parsons' article "The Precipitous Decline of Black-crowned Night-Herons in Massachusetts and the Northeast" in the June 2023 issue of Bird Observer should do so. Every year I bemoan their visible decline in the Mystic watershed.

     Until last week, this was the worst year I can recall experiencing. Two weeks ago I dined at Real Gusto, a wonderful Italian restaurant on the Mystic in Medford Square. I had a table overlooking the river and saw only 5 heron on a glorious evening. I had seen only two flying over my house, whereas I used to see dozens flying down the river on their way to Boston Harbor or up to the Mystic River every night. But one night last week I had 9, and then more recently 16, and then 9 again. Tonight I had at least 40 on the lower lake and dam. They were "quocking" in the trees. They seemed everywhere. The sky was alive with roughly 300 Herring Gulls and 40+ Black-crowned Night-Herons in nuptial plumage. I was in heaven. I knew instantaneously that tonight I would lay that last bottle of Bass to rest. Ironically, it was in honor of something that would also appreciate a 12-ounce bass anytime.

     

Best,

Paul     

           

Paul M. Roberts
Medford, MA 
phaw...@comcast.net