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Tom Crann
St. Paul, Minn.

Rescuing another victim of tornado -- north Minneapolis' great blue herons

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Dead heron
A dead heron at the North Mississippi Regional Park Heron Rookery is seen on May 22, 2011, after a tornado swept through north Minneapolis destroying most of the rookery.
Photo by Sharon Stiteler

There's another tornado recovery effort going on Tuesday in the North Mississippi Regional Park in north Minneapolis.

That's where more than 100 great blue herons had nested, establishing a rookery in the area's tall cottonwood trees. Many of those trees were blown down, killing some birds, but more importantly wiping out all the nests in the park.

National Park Ranger Sharon Stiteler with the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is also an avid birder who's posted her observations of the heron rookery on her blog and @birdchick on Twitter. She joined MPR's Tom Crann to talk about the tornado.

Gallery
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Sharon Stiteler
Sharon Stiteler, better known as Birdchick, a local birder, uses a scope and camera to take close-ups of the heron rookery and other birds.
MPR Photo/Stephanie Hemphill
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Dead heron
A dead heron at the North Mississippi Regional Park Heron Rookery is seen on May 22, 2011, after a tornado swept through north Minneapolis destroying most of the rookery.
Photo by Sharon Stiteler
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Heron rookery damage
Bird expert Sharon Stiteler says every nest at the North Mississippi Regional Park Heron Rookery was destroyed by a tornado that swept through the area on Sunday, May 22, 2011.
Photo by Sharon Stiteler