Hello, I have seen this dance as well and have photographed it in the dead 
of winter at Chincoteague NWR and last week at Blackwater NWR. James Kushlan 
and James Hancock in The Herons Handbook mention what was originally thought 
by one researcher to be a gathering ground dance as having been determined 
by another researcher to be aggressive displays that occur away from the 
colony site. On the few ocassions that I have seen it I thought that it had 
something to do with one heron trying to get another heron away from a prime 
fishing location.

Cortez

-- Original Message ----- 
From: "June Tveekrem" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 7:49 PM
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Blue heron dance


> Hi everyone,
>
> I'd be very interested in hearing the answer to Kathy's question below. I 
> observed the same behavior between two Great Blue Herons around 5:00 this 
> evening at Centennial Lake in Howard County.
>
> -- 
> June Tveekrem
> Columbia, Maryland
> tweekiebird|AT|southernspreadwing.com
>
>
>
> Kathy Isaacs wrote:
>> Today on our bulkhead on  N. AA County creek, two blue herons engaged in 
>> an elaborate courtly dance, with necks outstretched and wings folded 
>> partly out. It looked more like mating behavior than aggression as they 
>> strutted back and forth 10 to 20 feet apart.  I watched for about 20 
>> minutes until it ended with one being distracted by a fish and the other 
>> actually catching a fish and flying off to eat it.
>> So, in September, is this  pair bonding?  aggression?  teenage play?
>>
>> Kathy Isaacs
>