Mom osprey was set to grab the fish and bolt for her nest. The fledgling great blue heron, being very inexperienced, tried to get the fish too. A mature great blue heron would not have made the attempt. Mom osprey would not have challenged an adult great blue heron. The fish won the face-off. This time.
The great blue herons are sorting out where the best fishing spots are within the riprap. The heron on the left is a juvenile, hatched last year. The heron on the far right is an adult and I think it is a female. The middle heron, who’s priority is evident while he eats and ignores the sparring of the other two, is a mature male great blue heron. The juvenile is using his crown feathers in a raised display, hoping to get the smaller heron to back off. It didn’t work. Right as I got to the end of the sequence, a 4th (unseen great blue heron) dove into the middle of the other three and they all scattered.
Sometimes I turn around and into my line of sight, out of the fog, a great blue heron appears and reminds me of my long ago friend Stumpy. That happened this morning. Stumpy was the first bird I grew to know well at Jordan Lake. He and I spent many hours together, quietly healing – he his broken leg and me my wounded arm. He has been gone now a number of years. I miss him. If you would like to more know more of Stumpy’s journey with me, you can find the eBook on my blog at http://www.dreamingsongsphotos.com
doc ellen's journey 