Today’s photo tells a story. But the story it tells is far broader than a pair of nesting herons fending off another heron who is interested in the location of their nest. What you cannot see in the photo is the air battle between two males, complete with pterodactyl-like sounds, that occurred shortly after I took this photograph. And what you also can’t see in this heavily-cropped photo is the reason behind intruding heron’s boldness.
I don’t know its thoughts, but from where I stood to take that photograph, and from other spots where I had stood and looked out in amazement, I can imagine one possible reason for the heron’s aggression.
There has been another flood. And it was devastating to the siege of herons’ primary nesting grounds.
A massive open area of beaver ponds that surround a large clump of trees, trees that once held a dozen or more heron nests, is now a scene of devastation. Dozens of trees have been knocked down. The tops of many trees are newly missing. That part I’m not sure about; I may just be remembering wrong. The starkness of the park in winter makes it seem like another place altogether.
But I feel certain of this: most of that old clump of trees with heron nests is now gone. I could not get close enough to see better what might’ve happened, but, unless park workers have chopped down a lot of trees, those trees were felled in a recent massive storm and flood. More than half of the nests that were present only a few weeks ago are now gone. Every one of those nests were being actively used last season. So now, eight or ten pairs of herons must find somewhere else to build their nests.
The nest in this photograph is only about 50 feet from the trail. I’m surprised they were building the nest there, so close to passersby, but I guess if they were going to build a nest on the edge of their feeding grounds, they didn’t have many good choices. And I suspect that the unsuccessful intruder was attempting to steal that prime nesting area.
Floods are frequent in this park. Hundreds of trees have been uprooted or have been deformed by the ravages of nature. But nature's animals adapt. This pair of herons lost their home and found a place to build a new one.
Only part of their story has been told. There’s a reason why birds build a nest: to raise babies. Right now, I’m frustrated that I cannot afford a longer lens to more properly capture what is about to happen for this pair, as the forest begins to take on the yellows and greens of springtime. And I’m even more frustrated by the fact that the Covid-19 virus led to the closing of the park, causing me to miss the opportunity to see that heron family raise its babies.
Maybe next year.