Great blue herons are the official bird of West Bloomfield and were long a prominent presence in this nature preserve, where a highly successful rookery once held more than 100 nests. During its peak nesting seasons, the rookery was a remarkable sight, but in 2003 a large ice storm caused extensive damage and destroyed many trees. Because great blue herons are highly sensitive to disturbance near their nesting sites, most moved elsewhere. With fewer herons and fewer nesting sites, predators such as crows, hawks, raccoons, and great horned owls gained easier access. Even without the storm, the rookery would eventually have declined, because great blue herons can foul their own nesting grounds as droppings and uneaten fish parts raise nitrogen in the soil to toxic levels, killing the trees and forcing the birds to move on to a clean site. Although the rookery no longer exists as it once did, the preserve still supports abundant wildlife, including gray treefrogs, Blanding's turtles, green herons, and wood ducks.