A Great Blue Heron glides over on what appears to be a Common Snapping Turtle? at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refugee in New Jersey.

The Great Blue Heron is the largest wading bird in New Jersey. With a wingspan of about 73 inches or 6 feet the Great Blue Herons can fly upto 35mph.

Though the Great Blue Heron’s population in North America is stable, it is still classified as a species of special concern here in New Jersey — as the wetland destruction has caused a decrease in Heron population from their historic numbers.
In 2009 a total of 586 nests were counted in New Jersey.

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