Grey Heron

Day 5 of our Solace trip. Extremely unusual weather for late April!  Very heavy hail showers resulted in Clickychick finding she couldn't open the front doors on the boat due to a ridge of frozen hail.

This Heron was the most unusual event of the day.  I was on the tiller (that is unusual enough but the Heron was more so) and a movement behind me caught my eye.  It was this Heron landing just level with the stern of the boat on the bank.  About 10 feet (3 M) away.  It stood there staring intently at the water as we motored away from it.

When we were maybe 25 yards ahead it took off and repeated the landing.  This went on for I would guess about a third of a mile.  Once or twice it leaped into the canal grabbed something and flew back to the bank.

It was an adult and I can only assume that it had learned that a) people on boats are no threat to it b) the passing of a boat does something which makes the chance of a catch more possible.

This is a shot of him/her coming in to land beside the boat.