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The Great Blue Heron is showing off for the other birds. Probably trying to show that he or she is the biggest bird at the pond. If you look to the right of the photo, above his wing, you will see a pink dragonfly or damselfly.
This bird looks so graceful in flight, but not so graceful like this. It has a large wing span.
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Thank you for all the fav's on the my other Heron and Egret shots uploaded recently, I appreciate you very much!
@skipt07 Thank you! I appreciate it. @lesip Thank you! I appreciate it. @marlboromaam Thanks! Wish I had a better zoom, a really, really good one. He was maybe 12 -15 feet from me. Just guessing.
@ellimae Thank you, Ellen. I think he was showing off for the Egret. The Egret was probably 1 foot from me. The Egret and I are fishing buddies. The Egret knows me when I get out of my car and head to the pond - he can tell the difference between me and other ladies that go out there.
@happypat Pat, not exactly in my neighborhood, but the nearest little town. About 10 miles from where I live. @lola241 They hang out at a park where we used to take my granddaughter to play and feed the ducks. It is in a small town nearby. Who would think they would hang out at a pond in the middle of a small town??
@naladka Thanks! He looked to me as if he had been plucked, but it is the coloration of the feathers. I blew one of the shots up to the ful megapixels and was relieved to see it was feathers. Then I did a bit of research and found that his thighs are supposed to be that color. He is probably in his mating colors or something like that. Maybe that is why he was chasing the Egret around instead of trying to take over the fishing area.
Heron strike a pose! ;-) Before I even read your description, it struck me how much like a theatrical pose it was; 'baggy pants & cape'. It hat to be a mating ritual. Had to fav this.
@bankmann I thought it was chasing the Egret around to try to run it off, but maybe he was just showing off and trying to court, even if they are not the exact same type, but are of the same family of bird.
@grannysue If he's showing off to another kind of bird, he's probably not romantic. ;-p The spread wings would be to seem larger; more of a threat. Still an amazing pose. ;-)
@bankmann He did have them spread all the way out, then pulled them in, then back out and down again. He did that display several times while wading in the water. I thought he was being menacing towards the White Egret, then I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. I saw three of these this evening flying above me but could not get the camera out fast enough.
@lesip Thank you! I appreciate it.
@marlboromaam Thanks! Wish I had a better zoom, a really, really good one. He was maybe 12 -15 feet from me. Just guessing.
Lovely capture Linda.
@lola241 They hang out at a park where we used to take my granddaughter to play and feed the ducks. It is in a small town nearby. Who would think they would hang out at a pond in the middle of a small town??