For some years I have taken pictures of the herons that stop by the docks and pilings within sight of my home. A pattern emerged: there were no heron pictures during the osprey season of late spring and summer. None! Now, it wasn’t that the herons had abandoned the region, but during that time, they avoided osprey territory, and Crescent Bay was clearly osprey territory with its nests and considerable activity. I wrote about the pattern of heron versus osprey observations last October with a posting entitled, Herons return.
All that changed this year: the year of the great West Arm blow down (see, Ospreys’ annus horribilis). With ospreys in retreat, suddenly I am seeing herons here during the summer. I have posted a few pictures as herons came by: Uptick response and Heron trumps chicks. And below is a picture from this morning. But, only this morning did I recognize the changed pattern: these pictures were taken in June and July, a time when herons had not previously visited.
It seems that a local disaster for ospreys has made for some rather happy herons.
It’s an ill wind that….
Interesting observation … I did see a Heron Monday morning just across the lake from the Osprey nest east of the Harrop Ferry … Looks like they’re getting really cocky!!