These photographs are a continuation of yesterday's post in which a Great Blue Heron (GBH) appeared to be building a nest. There were too many photographs to include in one post.
This may be the way a colony gets it's start. GBH's normally nest in rookeries or heronries, probably as a means of looking out for common dangers such as predators.
Both parents participate in incubating eggs and feeding chicks.
The largest heron chick will often grow stronger at the expense of it's siblings. It will out-compete for food and will sometimes push younger, weaker chicks out of the nest.
Notice how the GBH is using dead branches from the tree it is standing on. It is an ideal tree because smaller branches that could damage wing feathers are absent.
The nesting season is well past, so the question is, Is he/she looking forward to the next year? Osprey also seem to be forward thinking and will continue to build up the nest even after the chicks have grown and flown.
After some time, it appeared the GBH had a change of heart.
It appeared to begin construction on a second nest higher up in the same tree.
After placing only a couple of sticks, it abandoned the entire endeavor. It remains to be seen whether anything will ever come of this nest building activity.
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