I took 1700 photos at and near the nest on this visit, so it has taken me a good while to sort and process them. (I also have a more recent visit with fewer photos--the leaves have really filled in now--but also some good ones.)

Here a parent and two mature juveniles rest.

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While I watched the heronry, this great blue heron flew into a tree eight or ten yards from me and proceeded to pull on branches to find one to take back to the nest.

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This heron spent several minutes pulling on each branch near its limb, trying to find just the right one to add to its nest. I assume it was looking for dead ones that would break off easily, but I don't know. It was close enough to me that under other conditions it might have been bothered by my presence (herons can be quite shy), but since it had come toward me and not the other way around, I simply kept my spot and took photos.

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Flickr Lounge: everything spring

Herons are an unexpected sight in a tree, but actually can navigate the branches well, and they do so with slow elegance. Here, the heron was looking for a branch for its nest. After testing several, it found one and flew off with it.

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Having moved up the limb, the heron finally finds a branch that meets its requirements, and claims it.

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