The first time I saw a Blue Heron in Águas da Prata was at night (around 10:30 p.m.) He was fishing. I was on the foot bridge and he was about three meters away. He watched me intently as I took his photograph using flash. Look at his long neck! They hang out near the foot bridge over the pond in Praça Basílio Ceschin.
The next time I saw a Blue Heron he was under the foot bridge fishing.
Notice how short his neck is. Is he the same bird? I don´t think so.
Then I saw this fellow with the White Heron. The white had just caught two fish at the same time. She dropped on behind that small bush and the Blue Heron stole it.
A few days later I saw the two together again.
He just stayed there and watched me take his photo near the foot bridge.
I had always wondered if there was more than one Blue. This fellow flew in on the other side of the foot bridge. So now I was certain there were at least two.
Then along came this fellow.
Like the others he watched me intently as I approached taking his photograph.
I was able to get as close as 2 meters (6 feet) to get this excellent. detailed photo.
So now we know there are three Blue Herons in Águas da Prata. They are, "No Neck", "Medium Neck" and "Long Neck" *SMILE*
Photos by Urso Branco
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Blue Herons
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Parrots in our backyard
There was a very loud raucous noise outside my window today, as in many other days.
It was a couple large green parrots. We see many of the smaller ones and they are also loud and roucous but these big ones are amazing.
Here they are just three meters away squawking so much you can't ignore them.
They were looking around the Jabuticaba tree for any left over fruit.
They entertained me for over an hour.
They are very pretty.
It is amazing to see how acrobatic they are at times.
Photos by Urso Branco
Heron Fishing
I was walking through the park and came across the Heron fishing.
She is very adept at fishing and spends a lot of time in the lake here in the park looking for breakfast, lunch and supper.
Here she is wading in the lake, on the hunt.
She is graceful in or out of the water or flying. She is my favourite model.
She walks in the water, going back and forth looking for just the right fish.
Someone threw bread in the water for her. It was just a temporary distraction for her.
She caught two fish and came out of the water.
But she dropped one behind that bush and the Blue Heron scooped it up. 
So she went back to the hunt for more fish.
She strutted on shore, proudly, for a while.
Then it was back to the shore to continue the search.
Back into the water.
Searching! Searching!
Wow! She got one. Look at her thrust into the water to get it. The pigeons watch her perform.
She even had a gallery on the bridge watching the action.
It is always a delight to watch her in action. She puts on quite a show.
Photos by Urso Branco
Herons, Herons, Herons!
I had a surprise the other day. I saw the Heron from a long way off and came to take some photos of her. To my surprise there was the Blue Heron that usually fishes at night with her.
The White Heron walked a short way off and turned to look straight at me. She was probably thinking, "Oh there is that guy with the camera again! I must look my best for him."
The smaller Blue Heron watched me closely.
She also turned to look right at me. I think she was trying to say, "I am beautiful too! Take my photo!"
Here is a unique photo of both Herons up close, together.
I was amazed at how close I was able to get to take these photos without a telephoto lens.
As I walked around she just stayed there and watched me.
Suddenly there was a flurry of wings as another Blue Heron joined us.
Notice the difference in build of the two Blue Herons. This one has a long neck.
This one has a short neck and a stocky build. Are they related?
She also turned to look right at me as I took her photo.
Remember this sign, in a previous post?
Well these five boys can't read I guess. They were fishing for quite a while. Look at the Heron watching them in the background on the right side of this photo.
These Herons are always a delight to watch.
Photos by Urso Branco
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Our Canaries
Meet our Canaries. Christy and Phebo.
In the beginning of November Christy was staying close to the nest.
She wouldn't let us see what she was sitting on.
Even Phebo was kept away.
Two weeks later, on November 25, we saw what all the excitement was about.
A tiny baby had been hatched. Here you can see it peeking shyly over the nest, under the careful eye of Mom.
It was still shy but getting big for the nest.
"Stop pointing that camera at me!"
Final the debut! On November 26. This seems a little suspicious. There are always many sparrows around the cage. Hmmmmm! I wonder?
The first family portrait on November 30 with Mom - Christy, Dad - Phebo, and the baby.
Judy went to the breeder where she saw many canaries with a few that looked like sparrows. The breeder explained it happens and Christy's dad was probably dark like a sparrow. So mystery solved.
Photos by Urso Branco
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