Heron chicks face off

Nestmates squaring off like this is normal heron sibling behavior — bills open, necks stretched toward each other, sorting out the pecking order for who gets fed first when a parent returns with food. It looks combative, but it rarely escalates beyond posturing at this age.

Why it matters

Great blue heron broods typically have two to six chicks, and older, larger siblings often out-compete younger ones for food — a real hierarchy that these kinds of displays help establish well before any parent shows up with a meal.

Getting the shot

Dense leaf cover around the nest made a clean shot difficult, so I waited for both birds’ heads to align in the same small gap in the foliage rather than trying to force an angle through the branches.