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<br />~3/~5/2~02 14:14 651-297-4951 <br />Ii'J()anGaiJi',:ITl!ln9m~j:a'b~.~oi:' m. <br /> <br />PAGE 02 <br /> <br />",.",.."',,.', <br /> <br />."?,""-,,,, <br /> <br />Pag.,1, <br /> <br />....~' '"..,. " <br /> <br />'l' <br /> <br />I <br />" <br />ii <br /> <br />FEEDING HABITA 1 DIFFERENCES BET'NEEN GREAT BLUE HER.ONS AND <br />GREAT EGRETS IN MlNNE80T A, Christine M. Custer, USGS, Upper Jv!idwe$t <br />Environmental Sciences Center, 2~30 Fallta Reed Rd" L. Crosse, WI 54603 and Joan <br />Gal!~ MN Det't. eiNalural Resources, 500 Lafayette Rd" 81. Paul, MN 55\55, <br />We documented the feeding llabltal of great blue hOl'Ons (Ardea herodias) and <br />great egrets (Casmerodiu:; alba), which nested on Peltier Lake near Minneapolis, MN in <br />1998, Birds were fallowed by airplane from;he time they lelt the colony to where they <br />landed to fe.d. The;r feeding ,it. was mapped; the time flown and the habitat selected <br />were documented immediately crpOn the bird', landing. The distance /lown and wetland <br />size were detennined later from National Wetland Inventory maps using AreView <br />software. Great blue herons selected siiIlificamly larger water bodies (mean - ]45.3 ha) <br />fOr feeding tmn did great egrets (45.3 ha). Herotl$ selected Jerger lakes, whereas, egrets <br />selected ponds and marsbes. Few of either species fed in creeks Or river.!. Great egrets <br />flew farther and were In the air longer (media.n distanoe - 13.5 km, max, distance = 30,3 <br />kIn; media time = 18.7 mln, max. time.. 43.2 min) than did great blue herons (median . <br />2,7 km, max. distance = 26.7 km; median tiItl. - 4.6 min, max. tillle = 43.4 mm). <br />AJt"lcugh great blue herons and great egrets nested in the same colony, their prefelTed <br />feeding areas varied both spiltially and by h.bitat type. <br /> <br />. i <br />I' <br /> <br />I <br />