In the Great Blue Herons' Rookery - II.

Raising Great Blue Herons' chicks is incredibly difficult. They can be brutal toward their parents and often attack them while they are fed. The chicks also can be violent towards their siblings hurting them in a fight for food. 

Later on, the juvenile Herons become so aggressive that their parents quickly drop a fish and leave.

At this age, the smallest chicks don't get enough of food and the largest ones are the most aggressive.  You can see the chick clutching its mother's beak demanding to be fed.

Finally, the exausted mother broke away from the aggressive chick. She needed some rest.

It seemed that everything was quiet for a few minutes, but the rest was short,  and the aggressive chick tried again to grab its mother's beak hoping to get food.

Enough!  I am taking a little time for myself before I go away for fishing.

Mother broke away from her chicks and started to preen.  She suddenly became tall and her beak became unreachable.

Life goes on. 

American Pipits are Having a Heated Disscution

 

This a very unpleasant encounter between American Pipits happened in January at the Great Salt Lake.

The Pipit with wide spread wings and an open bill decided to claim the territory  and, of course, he chased away another Pipit.  The aggressor behaved like a bully just showing his displeasure and power.

Generally, life is good!

Canada Geese Are Defending Their Territory. The Finale

 

The Canada Geese alternated their aggressive behavior with the short pauses of truce. When it was happening I also was taking a pause walking one loop around our local pond. 

If from Great Blue Herons I have learned how to be patient, Canada Geese that day taught me a lesson about the importance of a pause, even a brief one.

Generally, life is good!

Canada Geese Are Defending Their Territory

A few days ago I had an opportunity to photograph the aggressive behavior of Canada geese on our local pond.  They were chasing each other and even fighting. 

Canada geese have well defined and defended territories and extremely  defensive of them, their mates and nests during nesting season.

Thus, on the photo above a Canada Goose is trying to escape from an attacker. 

Sometimes chasing looked like a noisy marathon.

Generally, life is good!