Page 1
Page 1
Started By
Message

We have a family of green herons living in our backyard

Posted on 6/29/25 at 7:38 pm
Posted by bbvdd
Memphis, TN
Member since Jun 2009
27966 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 7:38 pm


In the last couple of weeks we noticed them flying between trees. They are not all that common here and we don’t live particularly close to water. There is a neighborhood pond down the road.

They are not bothered by us at all. When we go out they just watch us.

Pretty neat watching them.

Oh, the net is to keep hawks away from our chickens. We had one kill one last year and got new chicks and they are about big enough to not worry about a hawk killing one.
Posted by RichJ
The Land of the CoonAss
Member since Nov 2016
4922 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 7:42 pm to
quote:

green herons


I hear they taste like chicken…
Posted by DownSouthJukin
1x tRant Poster of the Millennium
Member since Jan 2014
30959 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 8:04 pm to
quote:

chickens


I hear they taste like green herons…
This post was edited on 6/29/25 at 8:05 pm
Posted by Bigfishchoupique
Member since Jul 2017
9429 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 8:09 pm to
They are very good eating. Gros’ Bec. One of my great uncles got caught with about 400 of them in the Marksville/Mansura cold storage in the 40’s.
Posted by Ol boy
Member since Oct 2018
3922 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 8:14 pm to
quote:

They are very good eating. Gros’ Bec. One of my great uncles got caught with about 400 of them in the Marksville/Mansura cold storage in the 40’s.

I grew up calling night herons a gros bec. The gray and white ones with a red eye. Is the green herons a gros bec as well?
Do the taste the same lol??
Posted by RichJ
The Land of the CoonAss
Member since Nov 2016
4922 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 8:22 pm to
Meh, ‘dis is a gros bec

Posted by Bigfishchoupique
Member since Jul 2017
9429 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 8:28 pm to
If I’d dig I could find you a bunch of Gros’Bec’s. Different areas, different birds, different folks = different names
Posted by Bigfishchoupique
Member since Jul 2017
9429 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 8:44 pm to
quote:

Do the taste the same lol??


I’ve only eaten the ones in the OP. When I was a kid I would shoot them at dusk on the roost with a .22 rifle CB caps. I could fill a tub. Would bring them to my PawPaw. He liked them more than poule’ d’eau.
Posted by highcotton2
Alabama
Member since Feb 2010
10315 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 8:46 pm to
quote:

If I’d dig I could find you a bunch of Gros’Bec’s. Different areas, different birds, different folks = different names


Every time I have encountered that name in Louisiana it was referencing a yellow crowned night heron. But I suspect to some of these kids now it could be any bird.
Posted by Ol boy
Member since Oct 2018
3922 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 8:48 pm to
quote:

When I was a kid I would shoot them at dusk on the roost with a .22 rifle CB caps. I could fill a tub. Would bring them to my PawPaw. He liked them more than poule’ d’eau

Well they must taste the same cus my pawpaw preferred them to Pooldeau as well,, he’ll I think he preferred them to any other bird.
Posted by Bigfishchoupique
Member since Jul 2017
9429 posts
Posted on 6/29/25 at 9:28 pm to
Poule’d’eau is an American Coot. “ water chicken” in French. Look at the feet.
This post was edited on 6/29/25 at 9:30 pm
Posted by AlxTgr
Kyre Banorg
Member since Oct 2003
86208 posts
Posted on 6/30/25 at 7:43 am to
quote:

If I’d dig I could find you a bunch of Gros’Bec’s. Different areas, different birds, different folks = different names
Not in this case. That's just a misidentification. Gros becs are night herons. What you shot at a roost were night herons.
This post was edited on 6/30/25 at 7:46 am
Posted by Potchafa
Avoyelles
Member since Jul 2016
4142 posts
Posted on 6/30/25 at 9:16 am to
Very much an Avoyelles things. There may or may not be very tasty !
Posted by Chris4x4gill2
North Alabama
Member since Nov 2008
3113 posts
Posted on 6/30/25 at 10:09 am to
We use to have Green Herons at our old place on Smith.

FWIW - Chickens never get big enough a Hawk wont mess with them given an opportunity.
Posted by Koolazzkat
Behind the Tupelo gum tree
Member since May 2021
2929 posts
Posted on 6/30/25 at 11:29 am to
The old folks called green herons, “cop cop.”

Posted by TheDeerHunter
Deer woods
Member since Jun 2025
278 posts
Posted on 6/30/25 at 12:36 pm to
Awesome pic, thanks for sharing.
Posted by Spankum
Miss-sippi
Member since Jan 2007
60190 posts
Posted on 7/1/25 at 11:08 pm to
quote:

I’ve only eaten the ones in the OP. When I was a kid I would shoot them at dusk on the roost with a .22 rifle CB caps. I could fill a tub. Would bring them to my PawPaw. He liked them more than poule’ d’eau.



This is quite possibly the most “typically Louisiana” post I have ever read here!
Posted by Twenty 49
Shreveport
Member since Jun 2014
20734 posts
Posted on 7/2/25 at 4:45 am to
We've had what I think are little blue herons nesting in our neighborhood for the last several years. They come back to the same Live Oak tree year after year.

It's fun to watch them stalking the yards and snatching insects out of the grass. But it's not fun if the nest is over your driveway or car. Their shite/puke is horrific and can require a power washer to remove.
Posted by NorCali
Member since Feb 2015
1554 posts
Posted on 7/2/25 at 5:01 am to
Wait a minute. Are you speaking of Poule’d’eau in regards to their gizzards (big) or breast/meat (paper thin).
I shot and cleaned one once, but wasn’t enough meat to even cook and wasn’t interested in making a gizzard gumbo at the time. So how did PawPaw eat these?
Posted by Bigfishchoupique
Member since Jul 2017
9429 posts
Posted on 7/2/25 at 2:32 pm to
quote:

So how did PawPaw eat these?


MawMaw made gumbo with them. My Momma would give me either poule’ d’eau broth or oyster soup ( without cream) when I was sick as a kid. Better than chicken soup.

Our coots had breast bigger than teal.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 1Next pagelast page
refresh

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram