Daily Archives: December 1, 2015

Aerial Dance

Some fantastic photos from Mickey Raine of Great Blue Herons performing an aerial dance over Mill Creek Marsh on Sunday. Love Mickey’s poetic description:

The pair emerged high above and gracefully circling the main body of water several times.  Their movement was so beautifully synchronized, and the elegant display with the warm tones of the sky during sunset was like watching a performance.

The call to one another went on for most of the flight, and it was clear that one was following the other.  After several circles overhead, they flew over toward the turquoise building with the glass faces, making one loop around it before returning to the marsh area and ultimately flying off to the far northern end of the wetlands.  It was not uncommon for me to see these great birds in flight, but it was a first to see a pair that was certainly engaged in something more than just surveying the water below for fish.  There was no intent to land, for this aerial dance seemed to have a purpose aside from going between Point A and Point B.