A Local Treasure Spotted Fishing In The Naugatuck River

I saw something beautiful on the Naugatuck River in Torrington over the weekend, it was a pair of Great Blue Heron in the shallow water picking off small fish that made the bad choice to swim by.

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For 50 years I lived in Waterbury, and I never saw bear, moose, bald eagles, or great blue herons in town, but since I moved to Torrington four years ago? I've seen them all. Last Summer was my first encounter with a Great Blue Heron in the waters of the Naugatuck River just South of downtown Torrington by the Dog Park. I want to believe that the two that are back this year are the same pair.

Turns out, if I lived along the Connecticut shoreline I would have encountered these beauties much faster. Great Blue Heron are common in Connecticut, most commonly seen along waterways, fields, and grasslands, and they're the largest Heron in North America.

Everything You Need to Know about Great Blue Heron in Connecticut

Great Blue Heron are common in Connecticut year-round, but they're migratory, preferring to breed to our North in Northern New England and Canada. Adults can grow to just over 5 feet tall and weigh around five pounds. Great Blue Heron are excellent fishers, I saw the pair in Torrington wading along the river and striking down into the water to come up with a fish. Anything that comes near them is prey though - frogs, turtles, snakes, insects, even small mammals. If it can fit in it's beak, it's going down.

In Connecticut, there are few predators, but Great Blue Heron have to be wary of Bald Eagles, Bobcats, and Hawks.