Yesterday, I was observing a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) as he flew to a new location. As soon as the heron landed, a male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) started buzzing him, obviously feeling possessive of the territory. I captured this photo as the heron took off in search of a more peaceful fishing spot.
I love watching the interaction between different species, whether it be birds, reptiles, animals, or insects. Sometimes there is a kind of peaceful coexistence and sometimes, as was the case here, there is confrontation. Previously, I observed a group of blackbirds harassing a juvenile eagle, but this time the blackbird seemed to be alone.
One of my favorite bloggers, Sue of Back Yard Biology, did a wonderful posting recently on the Red-winged Blackbird’s sense of territoriality that is worth checking out. She called it “Angy Bird” and the post includes some cool photos that illustrate her main point.
I tend to think of blackbirds as aggressive and herons as peaceful and prone to avoid confrontation. Another one of my favorite bloggers, Phil Lanoue, who posts gorgeous shots of birds and alligators in his local marsh, has shown me, however, that Great Blue Herons will harass other birds and sometimes steal their catches, including this posting that he called “Stolen Treasure.”
Initially I was focused on catching this heron in the air, but I am glad that I kept my eyes and camera trained on the bird after he landed, for it turned out that the most exciting action was just starting.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
This makes me wonder what it was about the heron that bothered the blackbird. It’s not like they eat the same foods, but I wonder if herons are a threat to hatchlings? That’s something I’d rather not think too long about.
Thanks for the blog reference, Mike. About those aggressive blackbirds…I think they vigorously defend their territory to protect nests and nestlings. Herons and others wade through areas where those nests might be located, and I can imagine that herons and others would be happy to chow down on a nest full of baby blackbirds.
Yikes. I thought of you, Sue, as soon as I saw the shot on my computer. It was raining out when I shot this, so I was shooting with an umbrella in one hand and my 55-250mm lens on my camera, so I didn’t realize how aggressive the blackbird reacted to the heron’s arrival. It all happened pretty quickly.
that excellent photograph would make a great entry in this week’s wordpress photo challenge which is “fleeting” as in moment.
Thanks. I’ve never really thought of entering photos, but let me check out what is necessary to do that.
That is a great photo – with the size and color contrasts going on. Definitely an eye catcher.
Very nice shot, Mike! I love watching interactions between animals too 🙂
Thanks. This was one of those shots that is a cool shot, because I captured an interesting moment. The light was not the greatest and it was raining out, so it’s not razor sharp, but I like it a lot.
That is nice action. I like the wake the heron is creating
Thanks, Lyle. The herons are so slow in taking off sometimes that it is possible to capture details like that. I was pretty happy (and awfully lucky) to capture this moment.
What a gorgeous action photo of the Blue Heron lifting off into flight…very enjoyable.
This is inspired!