Great Blue Heron

I try to walk by Great Blue Herons—they are so common that I already have dozens of images. Erika insisted I take this one—the morning light promised a perfect photograph. This species is, indeed, one of the most abundant North American wading birds. Great Blue Herons have weathered the feather trade of the late 1800s and early 1900s, habitat loss and other environmental threats. Bald Eagles are a primary predator of these herons—rebounding eagle populations may be bad news for heron numbers. On the other hand, some herons nest near eagles that keep other predators at bay (Vennesland and Butler 2020). These photos were taken on on 14 December 2020 at the Nisqually refuge.