Great, Blue Heron

There have been at least two Great-blue Herons around the pond over the past few weeks. I’ve seen and heard them confronting(?) each other several times. A few days ago I heard a strange “Awwk” above my head and looked up to see the two of them concluding a brief, in-flight battle.

Or at least I think they were battles. Another time I thought I saw one pursuing another off into the woods to the east of the park. A few minutes later one of them returned alone.

At this time of year, they could be territorial battles for food or nesting, or they could be some kind of pre-courtship “getting to know you” rituals between a male and female.

Because the sexes are very hard to tell apart, I’ll never really know…unless we’re lucky enough to see some “little” Great-blue Herons.

Either way, as they fly around, they make interesting targets for photographs.