I was watching a Little Blue Heron wander along the side of a pond when another movement caught my eye.

An Alligator climbed up out of the pond and plopped down in the middle of the path.

The heron just didn’t know what to make of it.

Back and forth he paced while the Alligator basked in the late afternoon sun.

Finally, he’s leaving!

Where’d he go?

The Little Blue Heron wasted no time following the Alligator down the bank into the marsh.
Wonder how long the Little Blue Heron will live? That sort of curiosity could end up being fatal, surely.
Curiosity and/or not paying attention can be fatal to a wading bird, I’ve seen it happen a couple of times. But Alligators snatch birds so rarely the birds aren’t wary.
Whoops! Fun serie Ellen.
Thanks, Hans!
A very brave heron !
Or foolish… Actually I’m not sure they know the difference 😀 . The herons seem to have no wariness around the Alligators, and only occasionally become lunch.
It’s funny how we are so cautious of the gators but the birds and turtles in the area never get rattled by them
I’ve wondered if it is because they don’t often, or ever, witness an Alligator eating on of their kind, so they have no reason to fear them. I have seen it happen, maybe once or twice a year. Me, I’m going to stay cautious. I was happy when the gator moved along.
Oh my, what a brave little heron!! I hope curiosity didn’t get the best of him!
Foolish bird stayed right with him down into the tall grass–too dark for pics but I did watch. I wondered if the heron thought some food would appear 😁.