For several months during the summer, I did not see any blue herons at the pond near my house. At some point, I ran into some people while I was out with my camera who live closer to the pond than I do. They told me that a heron had been injured. Before I could ask for any more information, they said that they had to go and rushed off.
Several weeks after talking to them, I saw one at the pond again. It took several more weeks, but I started consistently seeing a blue heron at the pond again. I was happy that one returned to the area and I often wonder if it is the same heron that I used to see all the time.
As I have observed this heron, I have watched it catch many fish and it even picked up a turtle. I am not sure what happened with the turtle as my camera lagged behind as it saved pictures while the turtle was in the herons mouth. I was also able to get a few more pictures in flight. I always find their speed impressive as they catch fish and their color in flight truly amazing. As I have said before, when they are standing on the ground or are perched in a tree, they often appear more gray to me, but in flight, their blue coloring shines.
