CORRECTION: The location was not by the practice field but near Lake Wingra, and the yelling was not from the band leader but kids, playing soccer. Also, for those who may care about precision in the observation of birds, there was, just out of the frame, a bunch of Canada geese. Meade seems to think the heron was annoyed by the geese and believes he saw the heron imitate the geese to insult and mock them! Meade performed the move the heron made with his neck, as if the heron meant to let the geese know how stupid they look.
Setyembre 7, 2025
Heron experiences puzzlement at humanyelling.
Video by Meade, near the UW Marching Band practice field.
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"humanyelling" is not missing a space. It's a coinage, based on "birdsong."
puzzlement's a good word. "Yeah, what's that noise?". Although its hard to ascribe emotions to Herons and pelicans. They're birds of little brain, and compared to crows or even geese come off as dumbos.
I saw an interesting Osprey-Heron interaction at the beach yesterday. An Osprey, probably a juvie, as the adults have mostly gone south, caught a fish that was too big to get airborne with. After several attempts, it finally "rowed" to shore using it's wings. One of the GBHs that frequents the beach was there to greet it, by poking at it with its bill. The Osprey gave up, and flew off, leaving it's big Gizzard Shad on shore, which the GBH ignored.
We have a heron who has been hanging out under the pier this summer. Pretty cool.
Bird brained.
Meade is quite funny. Its nice to think Herons are that aware. But I think that's unlikely. If you like inside their heads you'd find: "Must pick up thing and put inside bill" and "Look out for Danger" and a big blank space.
I watched and about 3/4’s in when the yelling got intense, my mind went straight to the opening few seconds of “The Happiest Days of our Lives” which is the prelude to “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” on Pink Floyd’s almum The Wall
Just read the post on France, too, so the heron and Peripheral France are sort of blending together in something that does not portend a happy outcome.
Gil Scott-Heron came to announce that "The Fall Migration Will Not Be Televised."
AI gives us something to ponder:
"No animal's knee bends both forward and backward; the backward-bending joint often seen on animals like horses, deer, and birds is actually the ankle, while the true knee bends forward, similar to humans."
That is a juvenile great blue heron, possibly from this year's clutch. Fully mature individuals have a uniformly yellow-orange beak that they acquire gradually over three or four seasons.
Though not a bird of prey as such, a great blue can be a formidable predator. Whereas most egrets and herons live on insects, crayfish, small fish, tadpoles, and frogs, the large herons often hunt mammals -- young muskrats, cotton rats, voles, even cottontail rabbits -- making them competitors with buzzard species like the red-shouldered buzzard, the broadwinged, and even redtails. They take birds as well, especially goslings. Like any other hunting bird, success comes with experience, and young great blues go through a stage of awkward curiosity. This one may have been drawn to sound of foraging geese and was disappointed to discover they were all as big and formidable as himself.
Here's a juvenile gray heron taking a young Eurasian rabbit.
Somewhere recently I saw a website with many pictures of herons eating everything (big) on the planet.
If you like inside their heads you'd find: "Must pick up thing and put inside bill" and "Look out for Danger"
Video: Shark!
Sometime in the last few months, someone in FL posted a few pics of a GBH swallowing a baby alligator.
Nice shot. We see Blue Herons occasionally - and they are very shy. As soon as they know they are being watched - they fly away.
Lem Vibe Bandit shared Shark!
Gray heron vs. blacktip reef shark
The heron is a breeding age adult. Note the yellow beak.
Elegant legs.
yeah - sexy legs + no shorts. winner.
Those birds can be deadly. We see them here all winter here in Rockport, TX. They like to roam the meadows and sand flats. They are not afraid to enter the yards of people in the country. But as for deadly, a man at the refuge in Mississippi was killed by an irate sandhill crane. Those geese are lucky that crane was distracted.
"We see Blue Herons occasionally - and they are very shy. As soon as they know they are being watched - they fly away."
The GBHs on our beach have become very accustomed to people. One will let you walk by as closes as 10 ft, another about 20. I wonder if the one would take a fish from your hand, I know someone who had one trained to do that.
The proximity of band instruments and our animal friends makes me think of this.
Serenading My Cows with 6 Trombones
Just got some pics of our heron out on the swimming raft.
Heron. The drug of choice for Wisconsin outdoor enthusiasts.
Heron addicts can be see in clusters of comatose birders on nearly every Madison street corner.
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