Great Blue Heron

Here's another Great Blue Heron I met a couple months ago at Round Valley. I did think the coloring was more vivid in this bird than I usually see in Great Blues. They are supposed to molt into their somewhat brighter feathers prior to breeding season, and the lighting must have been fairly favorable.

One cool thing about being a Great Blue is that when you're scanning the water looking for a good place to fish, it can look like your staring across the water contemplating the mysteries of life.

Yesterday I mentioned that Eastern Kingbirds will drive herons away from an area. Both these birds were at the reservoir, though there was a small cove between them. I suspect that the heron was sufficiently far away that the kingbird didn't feel obligated to try and drive it away, though it's possible that the heron is on the kingbird's TODO list.

May 20, 2021 at Round Valley Reservoir
Photo 132040157, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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