“Wonder what happened to the dinosaurs?

[mitch@hachyderm.io]

“Wonder what happened to the dinosaurs? This is a baby Blue Heron." https://leviathan-supersystem.tumblr.com/post/149809167589/clayorey-wonder-what-happened-to-the-dinosaurs

[tezoatlipoca@mas.to]

@mitch

`I AM A VELOCIRAPTOR`

Sure you are Oscar, sure you are.

Kidding aside, blue herons are pretty fucking big. Thankfully not too aggressive (not like Canada geese (cobra chickens) or swans (Fingerators)) but big and menacing, the way they just stand in swamps and on stumps. Judging. Sulking. Like a vampire. Like if your mother in law was a vampire.

[rysiek@mstdn.social]

@mitch image description:

a small bird looking suspiciously like a angry feathered velociraptor

[schamschula@mastodon.social]

@mitch If you ever have heard the primal sound they make when they take flight, you realize this resemblance isn't a coincidence.

[beerandashot@dmv.community]

@tezoatlipoca @mitch Heh, back in the early 2000s my parents lived in Columbus, OH, and a blue heron was flying from yard to yard eating all the fish out of people's ponds. Mom let their two large dogs out to chase it away when it came to them, but it just unfolded its wings and stared at them.
They ran back into the house.

[stompyrobot@mastodon.gamedev.place]

@tezoatlipoca @mitch now do cassowaries!

[tezoatlipoca@mas.to]

@StompyRobot @mitch cassowaries? Oh, you mean the Stomp Turkeys.

[tankgrrl@hachyderm.io]

@mitch Clever girl.

[zenheathen@beige.party]

@tezoatlipoca My mother-in-law *is* a vampire.

[davidtheeviloverlord@mastodon.social]

@mitch

Squawking with Dinosaurs.

[ggmcbg@mstdn.plus]

@mitch

It's high-time we started calling the dinosoars.

[brotherpsyche@mastodon.social]

@mitch bass fishing last year i saw one catch and eat a3-4lb bass / bro was full, it was rad

[ninetiger@writing.exchange]

@mitch

[perrym@newsie.social]

@mitch Really special picture Mitch! It's hard to imagine a wild creature being trusting enough to land on your hand and let you take it's picture. Nature sure is confusing but has it's wonderful moments!

[c_merriweather@social.linux.pizza]

@mitch The cockatiel sitting on my shoulder agrees. Birds are dinosaurs.
#birds
#herons
#cockatiels

[nickrauchen@c.im]

@mitch

No question that these baby birds are one step away from baby dinosaurs.

This is a #GreatEgret chick tossed out of its nest by its siblings (while the parents watched and did nothing). We witnessed the whole thing from our kayaks and I pulled it out of the water almost comatose. Just warming up in the sun did it some good. We are fortunate to have a local volunteer animal rescue so I think it survived.

Things I learned from them: 1) That's normal green skin color for egrets even the adults. 2) All adult wading birds are faster than you think. 3) Their necks are longer than your arm, and 4) They go for the eyes! Be cautious if rescuing such a bird!

Months later I attended a presentation about bird rookeries in the #Everglades. The scientists told us that having a sacrificial chick is sort of "baked in" for these #birds. They favor tall trees (bald cypress) growing in water because the resident #alligators help stop nest predators like raccoons and snakes. The birds basically yield up one of their own to keep the gators patrolling below their nests.

https://richard.mdpaths.com/nature/birds/natural_selection_2018/index.html