This morning, my friend Sarah texted me that she saw a Yellow-crowned Night Heron in the park at the end of our street here in Falls Church. This migratory heron comes to our area in spring looking for love and looking to breed. Dan and I were very lucky to catch a brief but very cool courtship display by the male. Here is the brief but beautiful love story...
In the small muddy creek off the raised boardwalk, we first spotted the female doing a little fishing.
Keeping a respectable distance we watched her checking out the creek but she decided to fly up onto the railing. This was very nice for us as we stood so still as she decided to walk toward us on the railing. I already had my camera raised and got these shots which didn't phase her one bit. She even allowed me to get a close up of her beautiful eyes.
Crayfish are a favorite food for these elegant birds and we must have not looked like crayfish so she dropped down into the creek on the other side of the boardwalk. That was when we noticed there was a male Yellow-crowned Night Heron skulking in the grasses a short distance from her. My long camera lens wouldn't capture both of them, so I snapped a quick bad photo on my i-phone.
See him back there? The female was clearly fishing as she slowly walked along the creek bank.
The male decided to walk through the undergrowth toward her. Then in a flash he raised his feathers in a full-on courtship display.
I captured it just before the male took a leap onto the female which lasted less than a blink before she flew off and perched in a tree about 15 yards away.
Meanwhile, the male stood dejectedly on the creek bank...
And there you have it, a first for us in seeing these wonderful waders have a brief courtship. Perhaps she will allow him another try. As we left the park we saw the female in the distance, through the spring forest, just the top of her head as she found another more private part of the little muddy creek in which to get her lunch. Love will have to wait, no doubt, until her tummy is full.
