Great Egrets have no respect for personal space. Great Blue Herons can be fairly polite.

However, after a while…

The Egret had moved to within inches of her nest. It’s an on going battle and she was finished. Suddenly the Heron jumped up, squawked, and attacked.

The Heron just snapped out, the Egret quickly pushed off. This is how it typically works. Rarely is there physical fighting unless young are in danger. This was a strong warning.

Eventually they will nest closer than you would expect. They do keep enough distance. Both birds are skilled predators and don’t trust each other, which is smart.

This time the Great Egret wisely moved off.

Note; in several of the photographs you will see a small Heron chick peeking out at the action.