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Not from my Nest!

This male Great Blue Heron was looking for sticks to improve his and his love’s nest, but when he started looking a little too close to a neighbor’s nest, that of this female Double-crested Cormorant, she objected strenuously!  “Leave my nest alone”, she seems to be saying.  The Great Blue backed away, but not until he was quite sure she wasn’t going to let him get at least one stick!

From Cornell’s website about the Cormorant:  “The gangly Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking, matte-black fishing bird with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America—perhaps attracting the most attention when they stand on docks, rocky islands, and channel markers, their wings spread out to dry. These solid, heavy-boned birds are experts at diving to catch small fish.”

From Cornell’s website about the Great Blue Heron:  “Whether poised at a river bend or cruising the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight. This stately heron with its subtle blue-gray plumage often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. They may move slowly, but Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher. In flight, look for this widespread heron’s tucked-in neck and long legs trailing out behind.”

Photo taken on March 24, 2018, in Lakewood, Colorado