A Story in a Square of Silhouette

Here's how it plays out. Mother heron goes out in the early morning for a meal of fish. The fish goes down in her belly, and turns into I don't know what. At about 11:30, her brood of three chicks demand lunch, so Mom begins the process of regurgitation. Mmmmm, yummy.

The chicks go nuts and attack her throat, and when she pauses to bring some more up, the chicks attack each other, with the runt of the litter getting the worst of it. All of this takes place as the 3 chicks create a cacophony of want. Quite a scene for the eyes AND the ears.

What does Mom do after 10-15 minutes of being assaulted? Check the photo in my Extras. Mom? She's no dummy.

Shortly after taking these photos, I was on a rail out by the ocean, and needed to switch lenses to shoot some begging pelicans. In spite of numerous warnings from Shelley (Naturelover) about changing lenses without being sitting down...I dropped my long lens. With one bounce on the cement, the lens found its way into the deep blue sea. 

Even at age 68, you can learn new things. STEP AWAY FROM THE WATER! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? 

Obviously, I wasn't. Stay tuned.