Finally, with the arrival of some warmer weather, a few new species are making their way back to the Times News region.

And now, with the waterways no longer covered with ice, birds that feed along the shorelines are now being seen.

The largest regular and breeding heron back to claim feeding areas is the great blue heron. In the past I’ve heard a few old timers refer to them as cranes. It is possible to see a crane here in our region, but rarely does a sandhill crane make an appearance.

Take a little time to read about some differences between herons, egrets and cranes. Besides herons and the sandhill crane, some egrets can be found here, too.

Cranes are generally the largest of these three groups. You may be most familiar with the whooping crane. “Whoopers” are an endangered species but making a very slow comeback. I don’t believe any have ever been seen in Pennsylvania. However, the sandhill crane, a bit smaller and drabber gray looking, could even be see here in the Times News region. I have seen them three times over the past 20 years. Other birders have seen more.

Some sandhill cranes have been breeding in northwestern Pennsylvania. Sandhill cranes, unlike herons or egrets, are usually found farther from water, and most often feed in fields or pasture areas. Another way to identify a crane actually is in flight. A crane flies with its neck extended, like a goose or swan.

Egrets, on the other hand, are closely tied to water. They are more partial to saltwater areas, in particular salt marshes and coastal bays or inlets.

One species of egrets, the cattle egret, is an exception. These birds somehow found their way across the Atlantic and strayed from their African homes to South America. From there, they have spread northward. I have only seen one cattle egret in this region. A few other sightings have occurred, though.

My best suggestion to catch a glimpse of one is to look for a basically all-white bird, a bit larger than a chicken, usually feeding in and around the feet of cattle or horses. If you travel to the Florida or one of the coastal states from Maryland and southward, they can be seen regularly. My family, when camping at Assateague Island, would see them around the wild horses that live among the campground and bays.

Now and again in late August or early September, look for a large, white bird called the great egret. They don’t nest here but almost annually one or two show up. I often see one at the Phifer’s Ice Dam complex, on the shore of Beltzville, and even along Mahoning Creek. Remember, almost all egrets have white plumage.

Herons are the most familiar here. Great blue herons are the largest of the local herons, and they breed and even sometimes remain here all winter. They feed differently than egrets by very slowly wading in the water to get close to fish, frogs or snakes and then spear them with their bills. (Egrets often work together to “herd fish” and then actively chase and stab with their bills.) You can sometimes find a great blue in a field or wet area where they can find mice or, again, snakes to catch.

A rather common heron that will arrive here near the end of April is the green heron. It stalks pond or marshy edges and patiently waits for an unsuspecting frog or minnow to get too close. They, like the great blue, breed here. All herons and egrets fly with their necks tucked in, S-shaped.

So, now with nicer weather, get out there and check out our waterways, too, for herons, egrets, or the numerous other birds now finding their way back.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Many birds will soon begin nesting. Which one of these uses mud to help fashion its nest? A. American robin; B. Eastern bluebird; C. tree swallow; D. all of these.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Most of` the birds imperiled and listed in last week’s column suffer most from the loss of habitat (non-breeding area factors) in their wintering areas, like the Amazon and Central America forests.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com