Hi Frank,
Thanks for your observation about the GBH stabbing through a bullfrog.
I have seen GBH's stab completely through the fleshy body of fish. The
back of my hand is so bony and hard that its bill couldn't penetrate
the skin as easy if it was not bony. Plus I can't remember if it
hit the back of my hand as hard as it could have. I don't think a GBH
could stab through the back of a hand.
Range Bayer, Newport, Oregon.
On Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 12:51 AM Frank Kolwicz <fhkolwicz1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Regarding the part about the juvenile GBH stabbing at the hand: I don't
know if bullfrogs' skins are tougher or weaker than humans, but I watched
and photographed a GBH stabbing it's bill clean through a big one
repeatedly last summer. Sometimes the bill was closed, sometimes open.
Frank
in Monmouth
On 9/25/2021 11:03 PM, Range Bayer wrote:
Hi,likely GBH mortality from GBH fighting ("Extreme Aggression in Great Blue
Roy, great photos and details in your observations!
Some hasty comments because I short on time ...
* Note there have been reported cases of a bleeding heron and once of a
Herons" at
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v096n02/p0318-p0319.pdf
<
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v096n02/p0318-p0319.pdf
)quickly assume to be blood from the fight. But the large amount of
* Roy took these photos in exceptional light that some observers may
"cinnamon" ((blood) colored feathers on 2 areas on the leading edge of the
wings, legs , and front of neck with white background are normal in adults
(not young of the year) --like many birds GBH's are more colorful the
closer one gets to them. During GBH displays with the wings out the red on
the wings shows up but is not very visible during cursory looks when the
wings are more tucked in.
birders that they saw GBH's that were bleeding when in discussion, it
Re: red on wings--I have received telephone calls from very concerned
turned out the observer was seeing the normal cinnamon- colored plumage.
wonder about the seriousness of any physical injury in this particular
* I don't see blood on the bills or in the plumage of either GBH, so I
interaction. I see occasional feathers on the bill. Roy has many more
photos and can enlarge them to look more closely. To my eyes in these
photos, I see GBH's mostly grasping the other bird around the neck, but
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24707703@N06/51516907936/in/album-72157719958948405/
<
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24707703@N06/51516907936/in/album-72157719958948405/>
looks like a perhaps direct stabbing the in the body and some seem to show
direct stabs in the wings.
How effective these stabs were in penetrating the skin is unclear.I was face to face to an unsecured juvenile that could have struck me in
I tried to rehab some juv GBH's and was sloppy handling them, and twice
the face, instead
1) one grabbed my wristwatch band and twisted it sidewisebony hand--it didn't penetrate the skin but it left marks that I
2) another stabbed me with a slightly gaping bill in the back of my
measured--GBH's typically forage and strike at fish with a slightly gape
between mandibles--that could help increase their foraging success because
2 separated points cover a larger strike area than single point--I think
the distance is in my paper cited below.
adversary. ..." In Roy's last photo (
* Re: "... great blues will lower a wing to look larger to an
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24707703@N06/51517623804/in/album-72157719958948405/
<
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24707703@N06/51517623804/in/album-72157719958948405/>),
the GBH is giving a stereotypical display called the "Spread-wings" display
generally given by GBH's with feeding territories but that can be given to
people and other birds also (Foraging Ground Displays of Great Blue Herons
at Yaquina Estuary, Oregon. R. D. Bayer. Colonial Waterbirds Vol. 7
(1984), pp. 45-54. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1521081 ;<
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1521081>; my paper about GBH Vocalizations
including the "song" of the GBH at foraging grounds that appears nearly
identical to one sometimes given at nests, see
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1521080 ;<https://www.jstor.org/stable/1521080>).
TNote that besides the Spread-wings, the back feathers are partially
erected and the head is
partially pointed skyward (the closer they come together the higher thebill is pointed up in my experience) o also see more about this in freely
accessible, see GBH species account in Birds of World (formerly North
America) and Ron Dudley's "Aggressive Great Blue Herons – “Upright And
Spread Wing Display”" at
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2019/09/26/aggressive-great-blue-herons-upright-and-spread-wing-display/
<
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2019/09/26/aggressive-great-blue-herons-upright-and-spread-wing-display/
of other species reacting and even approaching and watching the battling
* I am grateful that Roy includes notes of his observations of birds
herons (see
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24707703@N06/51516105032/in/album-72157719958948405/
<
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24707703@N06/51516105032/in/album-72157719958948405/>.
If one believes that birds are hard-wired to forage, then why get involved
with other species involved in aggressive behavior where there is nothing
for other species to get involved?
Whimbrels were battling and birds of other species (including a GBH as I
I still remember a puzzling situation during my GBH research when 2
recall) approached them very closely and it kind of looked like they were
trying to discourage the combatants. My notes on this are not accessible.
molt in harlequin ducks. When I first arrived I didn’t see any harlequins.
Roy, thanks so much for sharing these photos with us!
Range Bayer, Newport, Oregon.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: *Roy Lowe* <roy.loweiii@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:roy.loweiii@xxxxxxxxx>>
Date: Sat, Sep 25, 2021 at 6:01 PM
Subject: [obol] Great Blue Heron Battle
To: OBOL <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
On Thursday morning I visited Cape Foulweather to check on the status of
I noted two great blue herons in the intertidal zone to the north and
decided I’d work my way there to see if I could get some photos of one of
them capturing a cool food item. My attention got diverted to a black
oystercatcher that had just secured a very large limpet or similar
invertebrate. After shooting some photos I moved on to a flock of roosting
gulls where I found a couple of Heermann’s gulls present. While looking at
the gulls suddenly every crow (>25) in the area launched into the air in
panic mode. I immediately looked up to see which way the bald eagle was
approaching from but to my surprise the commotion was due to a fight
between the two herons. I immediately began taking photos and continued
throughout the fight, which was apparently a foraging territory battle.
The intensity of the fight was phenomenal with
the birds standing and laying on top of one another while jabbing theirbills into the wings and bodies of their opponent, biting necks, etc. When
one tried to escape the other would knock it down and the fight would
renew. The battle lasted for 2 minutes and 20 seconds, but it seemed much
longer while viewing the action. Throughout the fight crows circled the
herons and landed adjacent to them. In my photos I also noted individual
black oystercatchers flying back and forth in the background. I guess like
me the birds were interested and intrigued by the scene. When the fight
broke up the apparent loser walked my way and passed fairly close by. Its’
right wing was drooping down with the outer primaries dragging on the
ground. I initially thought the wing was injured and it may have been, but
great blues will lower a wing to look larger to an adversary. I took 155
photos and would have taken a few more had I not hit my camera buffer
several times. It was an AWESOME
experience that I won’t forget. I posted some photos of the battle inthe order they were taken. It may be difficult to determine the contortions
in some of the photos. You can find the photos here: ____
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24707703@N06/albums/72157719958948405 ;<
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24707703@N06/albums/72157719958948405>
Oh yeah, I did a find a few target harlequins afterwards.
Roy Lowe____
Waldport, OR
