Great Blue Herons admired from a far by Lesser Blue Hermit

Great Blue Herons are my favorite bird because of how much I see myself in them. Is it because I am tall, thin & majestic with a Zen master level of patience??? Nope, I'm none of those things. But if I could spend my days quietly alone by the water with camera in hand waiting for the exact perfect wildlife shot, I would absolutely be doing that.

I think what I admire most about them is their desire to be alone. They are territorial & if another bird gets too close, they will either drive it away or pick a different spot. I'm generally not confrontational, so I will wait for the other people to leave. It often doesn't take long because most humans have the attention span of gnats. But if they don't leave & especially if they are loud enough to scare away wildlife, I will just quietly pick a more secluded point.

The only time you see Great Blue Herons together is during breeding season. They gather together once a year in very large colonies at the tops of very tall trees & create a rookery. The location of the rookery is usually as far away from humans as possible, often an island where they have been gathering for generations, sometimes in the same spot for 100 years or more.

Some people believe they are monogamous, mating for life, but others say they pick a new partner every year. I honestly don't know how you would tell. I've been watching these birds closely through my zoom lens for years & I have no idea how to tell them apart. To make it more confusing, their colors do change a bit during the breeding season, like a lot of birds. Regardless, they are devoted partners from building the nest together until the young are able to feed on their own at roughly 2 months of age.

I can relate to this behavior too. I do sometimes enjoy gathering with a large group of people with similar interests for a common purpose. It wouldn't be called a rookery, more likely a fair or convention. I would most likely take another person with me. But generally, not the same person to every event & the purpose wouldn't be breeding. More likely, just to split costs, because I'm told that raising human child together requires more than a 2-month commitment.

In the bird world, the term "great" usually refers to size and they are the largest heron. They can be up to 4.5 feet tall with a 5.5'-6.5' wingspan that's almost as wide as a bald eagle's 6'-7.5' wingspan. But thanks to their sleek shape & hallow bones, weight only between 5-6 lbs, compared to a bald eagle's 8-14 lbs.

Their ultralight 5-6 lbs frame is unfair & unbelievable because they spend up 90% of their waking hours looking for food, which includes early morning & late evening because they have fantastic vision even in low light. In fact, their eyes work like a really high-quality zoom lens with a filter to reduce glare from the water & a protective clear eyelid that protects from splashes. Which is also unfair! Do you have any idea how much lenses of that quality plus protective gear costs???

Thankfully, Great Blue Herons don't have arms to hold cameras or fingers to press buttons & I have no desire to spend my entire day catching fish & other small creatures, so there's no competition. We can continue to stand quietly near each other next to the water and move if any loud, rowdy humans show up.