Disagreement In Mid Air

Yesterday morning I saw these two great blue herons clearly having some issues with each other. Probably a territorial matter, but they have been known to fuss and chase for no apparent reason other then they can.

At first the more aggressive of the two seemed to have the other heron on the run, but that bird was not to be intimidated as it suddenly swooped back up and engaged in the mid air standoff as seen in the last photo.

Hostilities ended as quickly as they began, and both herons flew off in separate directions and eventually managed to find their own area of the marsh to continue on with their morning.

44 thoughts on “Disagreement In Mid Air”

janmasyn on October 12, 2013 at 2:14 pm said:

Wonderful action shots Phil, the last photo is awesome with beautiful backlight.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 4:55 pm said:
  
  Thank you Jan, I wasn’t to happy with the birds being back lit at first but tried to make the best of it.
  
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vastlycurious.com on October 12, 2013 at 2:31 pm said:

Amazing! They look so pre-historic!

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 4:55 pm said:
  
  They do look kind of prehistoric for sure. Thanks very much for looking and commenting!
  
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Gunta on October 12, 2013 at 2:41 pm said:

Wow! That third shot really shows off the incredible wingspan on these guys. What truly amazing creatures they are. I have a hard time sticking to a favorite, but if I had to pick just one, the GBH would probably be it.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 4:56 pm said:
  
  Day in and day out the GBH is my favorite bird. The spoonbills re sort of my current fave but likely because I know they won’t be around for much longer.
  
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lemanshots on October 12, 2013 at 4:09 pm said:

Sehr eindrucksvoll! 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 4:57 pm said:
  
  Ich bin froh, euch gefallen diese Fotos 🙂
  
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Patrizia M. on October 12, 2013 at 4:31 pm said:

Scatti meravigliosi Phil, sono stupendi!!
CIao, Pat

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 4:59 pm said:
  
  La ringrazio molto Sono felice ti è piaciuto queste foto 🙂
  
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Victor Rakmil on October 12, 2013 at 4:42 pm said:

Spectacular!

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 5:00 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much I appreciate you looking!
  
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Deb W. Trotter on October 12, 2013 at 4:43 pm said:

Such amazing photos, Phil! Thanks for another great post.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 5:00 pm said:
  
  I’m thrilled you enjoyed these Deb, thanks!
  
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dinajohnston on October 12, 2013 at 4:55 pm said:

Amazing shots! That’s a lot of wingspan. Love that last one.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 5:01 pm said:
  
  I sometimes forget or overlook how large a bird they really are. Glad you liked these shots!
  
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heartical on October 12, 2013 at 5:27 pm said:

Beautiful set Phil!…The last shot is a winner for sure. ☺

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 8:33 pm said:
  
  I appreciate that very much thank you! 🙂
  
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adinparadise on October 12, 2013 at 5:30 pm said:

I’m speechless, Phil, but they obviously weren’t. 🙂 Great captures, and that last pic is quite stupendous.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 5:52 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much Sylvia, I was happy to see my favorite bird(s) in action and glad you enjoyed these GBH photos!
  
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Becky cribb on October 12, 2013 at 7:22 pm said:

Wowzers on those capture, esp the last one!

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 8:34 pm said:
  
  Thank you Becky, so glad you liked these GBH photos and the last one is a favorite of mine as well. 🙂
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on October 12, 2013 at 7:31 pm said:

Amazing, Phil, just amazing.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 12, 2013 at 8:34 pm said:
  
  I greatly appreciate your kind words, thanks a million.
  
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Shelley on October 13, 2013 at 1:07 am said:

They could be phoenix, rising again. Wonder if that’s where the myth comes from…

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- Phil Lanoue on October 13, 2013 at 3:31 pm said:
  
  I don’t know but these guys do look sort of mythic. 🙂
  
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Lyle Krahn on October 13, 2013 at 2:55 am said:

That last shot is just amazing.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 13, 2013 at 3:31 pm said:
  
  Glad to know you enjoyed it, thanks much.
  
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Chillbrook on October 13, 2013 at 4:28 am said:

Incredible series of shots Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on October 13, 2013 at 3:32 pm said:
  
  I appreciate the kind comments Adrian thanks!
  
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foxleylady on October 13, 2013 at 5:40 am said:

How I love these birds! In the last (stunning) shot one GBH looks larger – is this a case of a younger bird being put in its place? Thank you Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on October 13, 2013 at 3:33 pm said:
  
  I think it could be the angle that makes one appear much larger, they are probably both adults. But GBHs being what they are…they can always make time to start up a situation with a friend. 🙂
  
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Amy on October 13, 2013 at 8:49 am said:

Awesome action shots of these two blue herons! You captured their powerful wings, too beautiful. Thank you, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on October 13, 2013 at 3:33 pm said:
  
  I’m very happy you enjoyed these GBH shots Amy, thanks!
  
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The Dancing Rider on October 13, 2013 at 11:10 am said:

Again the turn of the head and the focus of the eyes tells the story. Captured in great detail! I bet they do this frequently – perhaps a territorial mini-squabble, as you noted!

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- Phil Lanoue on October 13, 2013 at 3:35 pm said:
  
  Yes likely a territorial dispute, but these sorts of things tend to get quickly resolved and everyone goes back to fishing…until the next time. 🙂
  
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Anarette.com on October 13, 2013 at 12:08 pm said:

I guess they did not agree on which direction to take… Not easy to capture with such a great wingspan.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 13, 2013 at 3:36 pm said:
  
  They were using evasive maneuvers which provided some interesting flying scenes, and yes they are a good size bird with large wings.
  Thanks very much for looking!
  
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dweezer19 on October 14, 2013 at 11:35 am said:

That last frame is perfect.

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- Phil Lanoue on October 15, 2013 at 5:45 pm said:
  
  Thanks a million I appreciate the kind comments!
  
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Paula on October 15, 2013 at 5:30 am said:

You have outdone yourself :). I have never thought it possible 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on October 15, 2013 at 5:45 pm said:
  
  Very nice of you to say that Paula, it is greatly appreciated. 🙂
  
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Inspired and pretty on October 16, 2013 at 4:34 pm said:

Fantastic shots, the last one is amazing !

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mike585 on October 29, 2013 at 3:27 am said:

Wonderful capture, Phil.

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