A Green Heron strutting by the South Fork of the Eel River. [Photos by Talia Rose who created a Facebook page to show our local wildlife. ]
This weekend, local wildlife photographer, Talia Rose spotted a heron, not one of the tall, slender birds normally associated with the word heron, but a short, stocky, young Green Heron.
“Usually I mostly find them when they fly – as they blend in so well,” she said. “This one was fishing in the shallows – looking quite a bit like the algea-fied rocks that surrounded it. Green Herons are relatively tiny and I was pretty far away. But – find it I did – much to my delight and then I spent the next two hours moving slowly closer to it. I was sitting on rocks in the middle of the river – going from one rock to the next – nine rocks all together! Until I was not too far away. Each time I moved I was surprised and thrilled that the Heron did not fly away.”
“Of course, juveniles are much less skittish and a bit more trusting than adults – and although this one is getting some adult feathers in – the striped chest and behavior tells me it is a young one. Eventually, it did fly – but not very far away.”
“I continued to follow it until the Mink baby showed up and then my attention was divided. I followed the Mink – but the delightful Green Heron then began to stalk me! Landing three times right near me.”
“We spent over three hours together and wow my soul was needing that lift.”
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