A Pair of Green Herons

I saw this pair of Green Herons at the same body of water last spring. If I recall correctly, they were both photographed at Duke Farms' Turtle Lake (not the nearby Heron Lake), though they weren't especially close to 1 another. Given it being spring, I always wonder if this could have been a breeding pair based on nothing more than proximity, similar to the pair I discussed here.

I have seen Green Herons near 1 another in the past that I suspected were juvenile siblings but these birds look like adults to me.

These photos also highlight the way Green Herons can scrunch their necks (looking a little non-heron-like) as seen in the 1st picture -or- they can really stretch that neck out as seen in the 2nd picture. These 2 different looks will sometimes cause the naive to think these aren't the same species of bird. While bird shapes are important to note in identifications, there are times when the same bird could look radically different at different times.

May 25, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 292818285, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

May 25, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 292818300, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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