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Tuesday 5 October 2021

Greats in the bay

We thought they’d left already. Great Blue Herons had been missing from the bay for a few days. Then, there they were, upwards of fifteen of them spread out along the bay by the boardwalk in Summerside.  Migration is in the air now as temperatures at night are in the single digits on occasion. My husband and I are happy to observe them at every opportunity.

 

Last month, we watched as one of the Greats caught its lunch as it stood near a sandbar. 





We didn’t know at the time, but it had caught a Sculpin. 





While humans don’t eat Sculpins, herons do. I watched the bird as it turned away from shore to eat the fish. 





Our most recent encounter was with 10-15 of the large birds on a day with a slight breeze. It was hard to keep count of them since they flew around the bay, checking out different areas in the falling tide.


My husband’s photo of four of the Greats with the blue background of a heavy overcast day was my favourite group photo of that day. 





Photos of the Greats in flight show the huge wing span. 





Photos of them landing show the feet reaching for the ground.





The S shaped neck is clearly defined in this photo. This bird looks powerful.





This group photo shows three stances which we commonly see among the birds.





Some of my favourite photos show the neck feathers. Those feathers look fluffy when they are dry.





Wet is a different story.





These birds deserve the word great for so many reasons!


25 comments:

William Kendall said...

I assume ours are gone now until spring. Terrific shots.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

They're fueling up for the long flight!

Celia said...

Amazing critters. Not many herons here right now either.

margi said...

Great photos! These birds looks really magnificent!

Beside a babbling brook... said...

Amazing captures of amazing birds...

Wow, your night temps are getting down there!!!

πŸŽƒ 😊 🍁 🌰 🌻 πŸ‚ πŸŽƒ

Elephant's Child said...

GREAT photos of a great bird. Thank you.

Debbie said...

i could not agree more, they are awesome!! i have never seen so many together...

i think this is my favorite large bird, your images are fantastic!!

At Home In New Zealand said...

What a great series of photos. I especially loved the second-to-last one, with the "fluffy" neck - it makes the bird look like quite a character :)

The Furry Gnome said...

They must be migrating soon. Love that second last picture!

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

I love seeing the Great Herons. I usually see them in the winter in Florida and we one that lives in a nearby small round lake in Pennsylvania all summer- just one. They are fascinating and your photos are fabulous. thanks . Can't believe. you've gone down to single digits at night already. Brrr

Red said...

If you're patient, herons provide some entertainment. They seem to find fish that nobody else can see.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Wonderful photos of these Greats.

Joanne Noragon said...

I am a huge fan of great blue's. There is a rookerie near me when I could go in season, and take great pictures.

peppylady (Dora) said...

Looks like someone having a nice snack.
Coffee is on and stay safe

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

The Great Blue Herons are one of my many favorite birds too.
I am happy just to sit and watch them on their hunt for food.
Great series of photos. Take care, enjoy your day!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I expect they will linger with you for a while yet, Marie. They are pretty hardy birds and some routinely remain here until the end of December. As long as there is open water there seems to be no problem for them to make a living, and they will turn to rodents and other items for food, anything they can swallow basically. I once saw one capture a chipmunk.

DJan said...

What fabulous pictures! I love the threesome in the early ones, and actually, all of them are wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing.

Anvilcloud said...

You certainly see bunches of them. There are only a few around here.

Catarina said...

Those are fabulous pictures!!

Goldendaze-Ginnie said...

Do you know how very fortunate you are? It all looks like heaven to me and I appreciate your sharing everything with us.

Mage said...

They are magnificent.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

great photos! Herons are magnificent birds.

Linda said...

They look like they are ostrich cousins. Great pictures.

Helen said...

A beautifully created post of these amazing birds. Thank you.

Rose said...

Oh, my goodness! These are probably the best shots I have ever seen of the Great Blue Herons. I sure enjoyed seeing them.