Hooked on Herons

I stopped to see the herons on the way home this evening.  It's hard to bike on by, even on grey days, but when the sky is blue, it's impossible. Once the leaves are on the trees, shots like this one will be impossible.

They're very intense when they're working on the nests.  In fact, the whole business of choosing a mate, preparing the nest, sitting on the eggs, and then feeding the young appears to be a full time job, even shared by both parents.  I guess their vacation is at the end of August when the chicks fledge.  I don't know if the juveniles go out on their own at that time, or if the parents stay with them for a while.  I also have no idea where they go.  Still lots to learn.
This looked like an "aren't they sweet" moment to me...
...but a moment later, they didn't appear to be as compatible as I thought.  Maybe that's just their way.
Condo living at its worst.
I'm learning to leave the zoom off until I find one in flight in my viewfinder.  Then, I slowly zoom in as I try to follow the image through the sky.   For this photo, and the next one, the herons were almost directly over my head, and I did the beginning of a backbend before snapping the picture.  Hard on the neck, this bird watching!
I like the head and neck in these two, but would have loved some light through the wings.  
This last shot didn't work, but I love the curve in the neck, the rounded wings, and the curled back feet (talons?).  
Stanley and Sue's nest is on the wrong side of the sun, for evening shots, but their nest had filled out considerably since my last visit.  I think they're doing well.  That's life as I saw it at the Stanley Park heronry today.