Great Blue Heron

I used to think herons were majestic and rare.

I still think they're majestic, but they're surprisingly common on the lake. You can usually spot a pair of them in among the rushes near the marina, and last week we had two of them on neighbouring docks, pacing back and forth in a heron turf war. I suspect they mark their territory with giant splats of heron "whitewash". At least, that's how our dock appears.

I happened to be on the dock with a camera in hand when this guy (gal?) swooped in with a fish in his beak.

He was planning to enjoy his snack. Little did he know he was going to have an audience!

He stood in the water near our neighbour's dock for some time, flapping his wings, craning his neck,

and checking things out.

He stuck around until he was spooked off when we tried to get closer pictures.

Dangit!

I was glad for my long camera lens, I got some neat pictures!