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Two juvenile Great Blue Herons contest a bit of Horsepen Bayou for feeding rights. They are also quite good at remaining a few steps ahead of my canoe if I try to get close.
This shallow area of the bayou is just north of the main channel of the bayou and at times the water is too shallow for my canoe. The higher tides made it accessible on this day.
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One of our resident Tri-colored Herons looking mighty dapper in his mating attire and doing a bit of foraging on the mud flats of Horsepen Bayou. A bit of a high tide which had covered the mud flats worked to his advantage as he scurried about while foraging. The beak and the lores on this species morph into a beautiful blue color during mating season and the eyes change to this deep red color as well. I call them all Lance A Lot because of that long beak.
I’ve included a photo of a TCH in non-breeding colors in the first comment box.
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Artist: C.F. [MOTHER]
This is momma gator, but I have no idea if the youngster in the foreground is one of her offspring or if it belongs to another pod. The dark hole in the bank is a hiding place for many of the youngsters, but I know that there’s another nesting place about 30 feet up the bayou where a number of other hatchlings hang out. The hatchlings in this area are a bit older and this mother no longer has those aggressive and protective instincts. If the youngsters had just hatched, she would definitely come toward me want me to back away. She’s somewhat skittish and doesn’t like to stick around for photo opportunities and usually makes a banzai launch into the water when I approach. She managed to stick around for a few more snaps during this particular encounter. She’s between 7 and 8 feet long. Photo taken on Horsepen Bayou in Alligator Alley.
No need to comment on both photos. And no, I don’t know why her head is such a different color.
A7R08941ula
This is momma gator, but I have no idea if the youngster in the foreground is one of her offspring or if it belongs to another pod. The dark hole in the bank is a hiding place for many of the youngsters, but I know that there’s another nesting place about 30 feet up the bayou where a number of other hatchlings hang out. The hatchlings in this area are a bit older and this mother no longer has those aggressive and protective instincts. If the youngsters had just hatched, she would definitely come toward me want me to back away. She’s somewhat skittish and doesn’t like to stick around for photo opportunities and usually makes a banzai launch into the water when I approach. She managed to stick around for a few more snaps during this particular encounter. She’s between 7 and 8 feet long. Photo taken on Horsepen Bayou in Alligator Alley.
No need to comment on both photos. And no, I don’t know why her head is such a different color.
A7R08960uls
