there last week, heron photos today

post #426
       I have been having a hard time pinning down the photos I want to share today.  And I think I sent one missing, which I have been trying to find.  In the meantime, however, here is the gist of things, all from another recent short trip for an important family gathering.
       I stayed with friends who live in an urban area but they are close to parks and a reservoir. So they knew about the herons that come every year to visit and nest in some very tall trees along the water's edge. Other birds come to the reservoir as well.  We went there one evening and then again the next morning, now with my camera and my 70-300mm lens. This is NOT IN ANY WAY bird photography equipment, but even so it can give the feeling of the activity going on.  I had to brace myself on fence posts ("make like a tripod") and remember that there could be cars crossing the small concrete bridge we were sharing ....

      However, since this post is about nests, I want to start with the house, before we left to watch the herons.  I was sitting on their couch, and these are the quiet views I couldn't resist trying to capture while I was waiting for our excursion. I have left them looking like they looked to me. Warm and welcoming.

And next, the herons, the nest building, and community building:

evening view, with just my iPhone

Life is always much better in the morning, right?

my sharpest (i.e. miracle) photo, a crop of the following photo (upper right hand section)

There are at least 4 herons in this photo.

The twigs and small branches they were busy bringing back to the nest looked just as spiky as their legs.

As far as we could tell, there was some procreation going on -- versatile nests.....

In the meantime....

All I know is that this swan and duck seemed to be friends.

assisted living platform

     I have spent way too much time working on these photos, though I might add a couple more once I get some distance from this initial effort.  But I do hope these views are interesting.  Needless to say, I loved being there and zoning out with all that was happening. I didn't even wonder then about how this annual ritual will be affected by climate change.  Of course, now I do wonder.