It's a tough life being a male heron. First it's a choice of providing your own food and for the mate, back at the nest. Then, it's a matter of bringing nesting material back to the nest . Well, it is the male's task. The mum-to-be is in the nest resting – waiting for food or a patch for the nest.
Recently, we saw a heron (male) in the horse grazing field with a large twig in its mouth. Ok —job done. But then it looked at the pool in the field and saw a morsel of nourishment. Well, what does a male heron do..... ? The twig was dropped.
Another heron was seen at the nest site with a twig in its beak. Ok-job done. But mum-to-be was not there. She had gone to find her own food. She couldn't wait any longer. So dad-to-be drops the twig and just waits for the lady to come back. It's a tough life being a male heron.
Next time ...... it's a tough life being a female heron. Just waiting for food or a nest patch from the chosen one in her life. Well, sometimes, the lady just cannot wait.
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Thanks to Ladybeedee for this picture.
Thanks to Keith Fackrell for this picture.