Continuing observation of social behavior at a local Great Blue Heron Rookery. These birds are fascinating from a biological standpoint, but I can't help but be impressed by their gracefulness. They often appear awkward, but at times, looking at their movements is like watching a ballet.
My last post showed a male stretching to indicate he was ready to accept a female at the nest. In this shot, the female (significantly smaller) is the one stretching, a posture that has been described as "greeting." I'm not an expert on bird behavior, but these poses remind me of submissive postures in other animals, exposing vulnerable areas of the body. That makes sense to me, since these predators don't usually tolerate each other outside of the breeding/rearing season, so submissive displays early in the "relationship" reassure both mates that it's OK to get close.
Canon 7D Mark II; Sigma 150-600 C
1/1600 sec. @ f/7.1; ISO 640
Tripod
36% of frame
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