It is fall, and it seems to be the heron’s favorite time of the year to visit. He was having a look around the pond and poking at the netting. No doubt reminiscing about the savory sweet flavors of koi and goldfish –

Until my tough-guy cat Barley showed up –

The heron bailed for the safety of the roof, cautious to keep one eye on us, and one on the cat. All the while wondering how to get at those fish!

Somewhere along the line he realized he could fly, and the three of us cannot. So he started laughing at us and even went so far as to stick his tongue out at my cat –

He then crossed the line, telling us he had a blackbelt in karate, while strinking this pose –

Barley, was not amused –

Before things got a chance to get out of hand with the wildlife and the domesticated animals, I told the heron, ‘Dude, you gotta scram’. He did, right to the roof of Pete’s house. Cause he still hadn’t had a chance to get his my fish –

Finally, after a couple more minutes of trying, we convinced the big bird to head home without any of our fish –

All in all, a good outcome on many fronts; No missing fish, no need for Barley to prove himself against a bird 5 times his size, and we got to witness one of Mother Nature’s beautiful creations up close and personal in the back yard. Usually the herons spook at the sight of us humans, this guy hung around for ten or twelve minutes, giving me ample time to take some decent shots. There’s plenty more if you like….