Bird in Pipe
Shortly after chasing away the Cormorant (“Bossy Blue,” September 4 2021) the Great Blue Heron stalked cautiously into the big pipe where Schoolhouse Creek, what’s left of it, drains into North Basin cove. The Great Egret that had been keeping company with the Blue hopped over closer to watch, and immediately scored a small fish outside the pipe. The Blue waited in the dark archway doing nothing for quite some time, but that’s how heron hunting works, it’s like humans fishing from a pier but without the rod and the beer. Then the bird’s patience had its reward. It pounced and grabbed a fish maybe six inches long. That went down the hatch quickly.
The bird’s fearlessness in entering into the dark archway impressed me. Earlier I had seen Mallards enter this big pipe, (Mallards Go Dark, June 2 2020), but they’re much smaller and have more headroom. Maybe the Blue will remember this spot and go there when it rains.
