The Dark Side of the Heron

The female blue heron hears the love screech of the male. She picks her heart's desire and settles on a branch nearby. The male immediately begins to court her. The moment she indicates interest and approaches him, though, he changes his mind, becomes unpleasant, shoos her away, or even attacks her. As soon as the discouraged female flies off, he screeches after her. If she gives him another chance and flies back, he may very well attack her again. Gradually, though, should the female's patience last that long, the fickle male's grumpiness subsides and he may actually be ready to mate. He is conflicted and ambivalent. Sex and aggression are mixed up in his mind, and the confusion is so profound that, if not for the patience of the female, this species might fail to reproduce itself. If ever there was an avian candidate for psychotherapy, the male blue heron is our nominee. ~Carl Sagan

These photos are from last summer. A heron was becoming increasingly troublesome and lazy about its proper fishing habits, turning instead to the furry rodent buffet which presented itself to him at the base of the bird feeders. Multiple feeding stations were kept full year-round to attract hoards of birds, which it did. But it also drew red squirrels, grey squirrels and chipmunks - and flying squirrels and raccoons at night. The heron in turn, continuously stalked these cute little daytime beasties, and all too often could be seen making off with one of them in its bill. It would seem that overstocking leads to over-stalking.

This is the darker side of the heron (quote-wise).

I think the very word stalking implies that you're not supposed to like it. Otherwise, it would be called 'fluffy harmless observation time'.

~ Molly Harper

This is more or less where the heron is supposed to be - checking out the lake for fishing prospect. This was right after one of the many times it was chased away from trying to capture Chip or Dale.

It is a negligence of the mind not to notice how at dusk, heron comes to the pond and stands there in his death robes.

~ Mary Oliver

Contemplating its next move.

I think anybody with an insecurity, which is everyone, appreciates the fact that it's much easier to be a predator than it is to be prey.

~ James Van Der Beek

It turned and left the dock in search of a place to fish, presumably.

Lazy and indifferent, shaking space easily from his wings, knowing his way, the heron passes over the church beneath the sky. White and distant, absorbed in itself, endlessly the sky covers and uncovers, moves and remains.

~ Virginia Woolf

It seemed to have a place in mind.

A stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down the river. ~ John Steinbeck

Wings raised in a hopeful V for victory.

Freedom is only the distance between the hunter and his prey. ~ Zhenkai

Unsuccessful, or unwilling to put the work into it, it turned back to see if it could make its way back to the chipmunk diner.

The man flaps about with a bunch of feathers: the woman goes to work softly with a cloth.

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

I think it was just having a bad heron day. ;)

If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes You'll just have to claw your way through this disguise. ~ Pink Floyd

Yep, back on land in search of furry critters in a day-long feeding frenzy for all.


More photos will be on the wing soon