Last week, while photographing great blue herons standing on the ice at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, I came across a scene that always makes me ask the question of who should we root for in nature.
In nature, we have animals that survive by taking other animals for food. The great blue heron catching fish for food is one of the countless examples many of us have witnessed in our endeavors in the natural world.
But, on this particular day, however, I witnessed something a bit different, a bit more graphic, and sometimes a bit harder to watch even though it is an important part of the natural cycle of life.
It was early Saturday morning. The clouds and fog had partially broken to the point I decided to grab my camera and head out to the refuge in search of great blue herons.
This time of year, great blue herons can be found standing on the water’s edge along the icy Bear River. They find open pockets of water where pied-billed grebes, mergansers, and other diving ducks are congregated.
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The great blue herons actually stand and wait for the diving birds to come up with fish and will intentionally try and steal their bounty.
This grouping of birds can and quite often attracts other visitors to the scene. On this particular day, several adult bald eagles had been viewed circling the area but left without giving it much attention.
As I was photographing a nearby great blue heron, all kinds of commotion broke out. Pied-billed grebes quickly dove under the water, followed by the golden-eyed ducks and mergansers.
An immature bald eagle had just swooped over the small pocket of icy water, only to turn to make another pass.
I was fortunate to catch what came next on film. The young eagle timed its dive just as one of the pied-billed grebes had resurfaced again and effortlessly snatched it from the water and landed on the nearby bank to consume its meal.
These are the times many of us have a hard time with nature, myself included.
I love pied-billed grebes, and I love bald eagles. Both are important to the ecosystem, and both fight the daily struggles for survival.
So who do we root for in these circumstances, where we love both parties, one just as much as the other?
Personally, I don’t know if it is fair to root for one over the other. All creatures in nature deserve our admiration and support.
In fact, even though these scenes are hard to watch because there is, what we humans would call, an apparent loser, the fact we have these natural areas and the opportunity to view and watch nature should be what we support and ultimately root for.
Nature itself is where we should put our favors toward, all creatures great and small, and root for the function of the natural environment to continue to exist for future generations to enjoy, study, and learn about.
It’s hard to not feel sorry for the pied-billed grebe in this instance, and we should feel some grief for an individual loss in nature, but we should also feel good about the eagle getting a chance to live for another day.
I have found it easier to look at these encounters in a larger sense, not as individuals but as how these interactions affect the populations and their future. Both the bald eagle and pied-billed grebe are seemingly stable populations, and both are a vital part of the ecosystem.
This individual occurrence won’t affect the long-term population of either species but is an important mechanism to balance and sustain both wildlife populations. It has played out for thousands of years and can continue to play out for thousands more if mankind will take part and help sustain nature as a whole entity and protect areas such as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
Think of it this way, the pied-billed grebe actually helped two species on this particular day, both the eagle and the great blue heron, by providing food for both birds in different but important ways during the coldest, harshest and leanest part of the year.
So, as a result, when I see scenes like this I do tend to feel sad for the animal we tend to call the loser but in nature, there are no winners and losers. All are important parts of the natural cycle of life and it is nature itself that wins when it is able to carry out these day-to-day acts of individual survival.
I root for the pied-billed grebe to continue its course. I root for the bald eagle to continue its journey, as well. I root for all parts of nature to continue to interact with each other so we all have opportunities to leave the fast-paced, hectic, and modernized world we live in and take a few minutes to enjoy the natural world around us.
Being out in nature and watching daily encounters can help relax and rejuvenate us. It’s peaceful and quiet and a much-needed diversion from our world full of stress and deadlines.
I urge others to get out and enjoy nature, all of it. To learn about and appreciate the interactions between all the ecological players and appreciate nature as a whole.
The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is a great place to do just that. It supports a wide variety of birds but also gives visitors a great look at the natural interactions between all creatures.
I find butterflies, snakes, rodents, mammals, fish, and all other creatures on the refuge fascinating, and enjoy every minute while on the refuge. And yes, I even enjoy the bugs during the summer. It’s all part of nature, and it’s all-important.
For more information about the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, visit their website for contact information, their social media channels, and further information about the wildlife that calls the refuge home.
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