NOT A CITY BIRD!

I spied this Great Blue Heron again today - this time in the pond in front of a local retirement center. He was my blip on June 14 when I saw him in a pond behind a shopping mall. I'm sure he's the same one because there's can't be more than one in the unlikely urban area of Lansing, Michigan.

Until I downloaded my photos to the computer, I hadn't realized that this beautiful bird has some serious injuries. There is quite a sore looking bare area on the front shoulder of his left wing, and another bare spot on the right side of his body. Unless the wind is blowing, his feathers manage to cover the spots fairly well. I wonder how he was injured - he seems so out of his element that it's conceivable the injuries might be from an animal attack. I just hope they weren't caused by some stupid humans using him for target practice. He was very nervous and flew further away at the sight of me - and I wasn't close at all.

Aside from feeling so sorry for him, I was just happy to find a more interesting blip than I've been coming up with lately. I hope he's able to heal quickly.