Blue Heron

A slow news day. Raining again, so I only got out and took about 45 pictures. Flowers, and turtles, and duck, duck, goose. Also a new robins nest.

I rarely get to see this blue heron. I think we only have one. I don't know whether he/she is just-a passing through, or it is here for the summer. He/she only let me get 2 shots before it flew off. Maybe it is hiding a mate somewhere at the other end of the pond.

I never knew until a few years back that they built their nests in trees. They make a huge nest...probably to allow for the size of their juveniles. Them babies get pretty big before they are ready to leave.

Last year in Florida there was a story about a tree-trimmer that cut down a big tree near one of the public boat launches. I think he was informed that one of the trees had a herons nest in it, but he did'nt bother to look up...and just sawed it down. The shocked parents took off, leaving 2 little heron-ettes.One of the babies suffered a broken wing. A local bird rescue unit took them in, and I never heard how they did. The @#$%-^&* (you figure out the word...I try not to use such language) who cut down the tree was in real hot water, too. They were thinking about charging him under some environmental law, and again I never heard the end of the story.

I got so used to seeing them during my 8 weeks in Florida that I kind of took them for granted. I love that gutteral sound they make. They are very territorial, and that makes for some interesting exchanges with other birds. The one I saw today...I named Karen the heron in honor of my blip friend. If it's a boy...it's Aaron the heron.