Some of us are independent. Loners, even.
Great blue heron, fishing
Some of us thrive in crowds.
Sandhill cranes, hanging out
Some prefer small groups.
Sandhill cranes, browsing/gleaning
Different strategies–*wildly* different strategies–can work equally well, but it’s good to know who we are.
Isabel
The second photo reminds me of Pelican Lake in southwest Manitoba. I marvel that pelicans come that far north, but they flock to that lake by the thousands.
Tom
Tom – I’ve seen hordes of pelicans at Lockport, a little north of Winnipeg, and a few at Saskatoon, decades ago. Seeing thousands in one go might be worth a trip . . .
Beautiful photos! In the second photo, it is delightfullly difficult to discern which are birds and which are reflections.
Judith – Many thanks. I wanted to be about 1/10 the distance from them, but that was not possible to arrange. 🙂
I love this Isabel!
Carla – 🙂 Many thanks.
I had to stop and think, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than a loner great blue heron (except when nesting)
And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lone sandhill, groups as small as 2-3 maybe, but usually many more.
Nice pics BTW
Jim R – I concur. For the GBHs, other than nesting I’ve only ever seen one at a time. I’ve only seen sandhill cranes in their wintering period, so I don’t know what they do when they’re not hanging out waiting for better weather!