Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles – at Coulon Park

I was thrilled to find a bonanza of big birds on my walk at Coulon Park this week! I saw three Great Blue Herons, standing tall, patient and stoic.

And the skies were filled with Bald Eagles!

I counted six over head at one time, many juveniles, though this adult was content to stay perched below on a piling,

singing up a storm.

Which is bigger? Depends on how you measure. Great Blue Herons are taller at 3 – 4 feet, while Bald Eagles are heavier and have a greater wingspan, of 7 – 8 feet. Which is best at fishing? My Google search says the Herons have the edge, but while I watched, it was the Eagles.

And I’m reminded of a competition I saw a few years ago, where under the watchful eyes of a Heron,

an Eagle swooped in

and left with a salmon.

Leaving the astonished heron behind, perhaps hoping none of his friends were witnesses.

~ Susanne