Some of the mating displays for great blue herons include bill snapping, neck stretching, moaning calls and preening. stick for the nest and his apparent suitability as a mate. Having a good stick seals the deal. Observers gifted to witness heron courtship exhibitions regularly describe them as elegant and artistically intricate. My time in a blind photographing them last spring found me too often watching the action through my lens and forgetting to trip the shutter. I must admit that hasn't happened to me in 40 years of photographing wildlife. The behavior was simply mesmerizing. SPRINGTIME RITUAL The most interesting behavior to me was when the male flew to the nest with a stick and gave it to the female, who held it or carefully placed it into the nest. Then the male wrapped his neck over the female and they made soft, moaning calls. Both would often flare their neck feathers in unison. Occasionally the male used the tip of his beak to gently caress the female's head. One thing that struck me is how gently they treated each other. That's a sharp contrast to the behavior I've observed in other birds and mammals where mating behavior seems almost brutal. It's little wonder observers of heron courtship are enthralled with the simple elegance of what they witness. While males choose the nesting site, females are the construction workers. Males gather sticks and other nesting material from the ground or by raiding other nests. Construction usually takes a few days to two weeks, with sticks added to the structure Wyoming Wildlife | 27 Occasionally the male used the tip of his beak to gently caress the female's head. One thing that struck me is how gently they treated each other.