A wild speculation on my part: could this be recently fledged youngster
who has been cut loose from food source parents for the first time, and
is franticly looking for any bird that might respond to the "feed me,
feed me" squawking and flutter?


On 2021-08-07 09:17, Sego Jackson wrote:

> Southend, Whidbey Island. There is a Green Heron on our pond this

> morning with interesting behavior/interactions. It landed 20 feet up

> on a cedar branch, jumped from branch to branch then assumed a hunting

> stance, and in fact jabbed something in the air. Over the course of

> half an hour, it repeatedly followed behind a kingfisher hunting the

> pond, following its flight pattern and landing near it or replacing it

> on its perch. Several times the heron flew across pond to swoop close

> to and around a Great Blue Heron and then return to opposite side of

> pond. I then heard it squawking and looked up to realize the area it

> had been frequenting on the cedar was now occupied by a Great Horned

> Owl. After 10 minutes or so, the owl flew back into the alder forest.

> As I began typing this, the heron squawked again, this time seemingly

> in response to a young osprey who just arrived and started calling. It

> seemed attentive to the osprey as long as it was calling and when it

> stopped (or left, not sure which) the heron assumed what I would

> characterize as a "relaxed" position. It is now hanging out at the

> base of cattails at the pond's edge. The pond is teaming with small

> trout, lots of aquatic insects, etc. but I have yet to see it hunting

> the water. This was all between 7-9 am August 7. Has anyone else seen

> similar green heron behavior, especially with kingfishers? Any

> thoughts are welcome. Dang, was just ready to click send and more is

> happening. The Great Blue flew from its rock and the Green swooped

> over and followed the Great Blue as it left the pond area. The Green

> then returned to the pond, landed on the rock where the Great Blue had

> been, and then flew circles around the pond three times, again landing

> where the Blue had been. Now it is calling occasionally while moving

> from tree to tree: weeping willow, cedar, firs. Sego Jackson, Whidbey

> Island

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