A family of green herons is nesting beside a pond about a 10-minute walk from our home. The 4 chicks are very different in size from each other, with the oldest chick being at least twice the size of the youngest one. Their nest looks small and precariously rickety. However, the chicks seem comfortable wandering out onto the branches when they want a little more space, even though they’re still wobbly and it looks like a risky thing to do; their feathers are clearly not ready for flying if they fall.
While filming one of the adults across the pond, a great blue heron flew into the video and landed at the far edge of the water. It immediately got down to the business of fishing and within about two minutes had speared itself a nice little lunch of unpoached perch.
