GBH Courtship: Stretch

Gallery: AvianPosted April 3, 2016162 views7 comments

I find the progression of social behavior at a local Great Blue Heron Rookery to be fascinating. The nests are quite far from shore, so the birds are not bothered by people. (Unfortunately, that means all of my shots are cropped significantly; good thing these are some of the largest critters in the area.)

One of the early courtship behaviors is the "stretch." When displayed by a male alone on the nest, it indicates a change from their usual anti-social ways to acceptance of the female. Usually within a couple of days, aggression toward females subsides so mating can begin. Soon the female will stay on the nest and the male will bring her sticks for "home renovations." (See my posts last week here and here.)

Canon 7D Mark II; Sigma 150-600 C at 600 mm.
1/1250 sec. @ f/7.1; ISO 640
Tripod
60% of frame

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on April 4, 2016 at 9:01 AM

Wayne, thanks for the behavior description. The pose is quite striking, especially with the trunk along side the bird. I'm wondering if we weren't seeing some of the same behavior in FL, where there were several nests with only one GBH standing on the nest.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 4, 2016 at 9:06 AM

A great pose that works very well with the forked trunk housing the nest. Interesting observations on the evolution of the courtship behavior. Nicely done, Wayne.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Pete Bengeyfield on April 4, 2016 at 9:55 AM

You've got a great series going there, Wayne. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

Registered on December 2, 2003, 1247 Posts, 3439 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 4, 2016 at 11:03 PM

I like the behavior and pose Wayne. I also like the comp and how it mimics the branches on the left and right of the nest.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on April 5, 2016 at 12:10 PM

Nice pose. Thanks again for the detail and history on the courtship rituals of herons. I've learned something here. Although I have rookeries nearby, they are not accessible.