Mean Joe Green Heron Isn’t So Mean ~ He’s a love machine!
I went back to see if I could find the Green Heron that was giving me the stink eye about a week or two ago. He made me work hard to get the photographs I got, standing in one place for over an hour and not doing much. In one image, he stared right at me, trying to intimidate me, and therefore earned his nickname Mean Joe Green! :)
Well, I lucked out and I believe the same Green Heron was on another fallen tree of another pond across the street from our last photo session. As I crept closer and closer to him he remained motionless. By his beautiful coloring it looked like the same male Green Heron. “So we meet again,” I said to myself.
The light was in and out, filtered by the woods surrounding the pond. Again, I stood for over an hour photographing every little movement the Green Heron made, hoping to get the “money shot”. :) My arms were getting tired from holding the camera up for so long. He was obviously not going anywhere, and I started to think maybe it was time for me to hit the road and leave him be.
Then I heard some rustling over in the trees on the other side of the pond! The Green Heron heard it too and went on high alert. I looked through my zoom lens and spotted a number of juvenile Green Herons out of their nest, climbing out on branches obviously looking for Mom or Dad to return with some food.
I counted three at first and then amazingly a fourth juvie appeared! They were obviously hungry, too young to fly, and totally dependent on their parents to survive. As I started snapping pictures of them I saw another Green Heron fly right over me to a strategic branch across the pond. It was then that I put it all together. Mom had just returned for feeding time. Dad was across the pond on the fallen tree standing guard.
Mean Joe Green isn’t so mean after all. Turns out he is a family man, father of 4! All that time he was making me work so hard to take his picture, he was standing guard making sure no one got too close to the nest.
Two of the little ones spent a good bit of time out on a limb together and then occasionally a third would climb out and join them. Finally, the fourth came out of hiding and I took a few shots of all four siblings together. Getting a bunch of juveniles to pose at the same time is never easy! :)
I never saw feeding time. I ended up leaving because I thought Mom was probably waiting for me to leave.
Anyway, I thought I’d follow up my Mean Joe Green blog with the rest of the story!
As far as painting goes, I’ve just finished one commission, finished a little nighttime scene of The Vendue Hotel, and have started another large commission.
Thank you for reading my journal and for your interest in my art!
“One of the joys of being an artist is having the freedom to follow my passion….”
What’s next?
Drawing by William R. Beebe