As any parent knows, after the romance comes the work.
Downtown Richmond's great blue herons have gone beyond the nuzzling and strutting of a few weeks ago to the never-ending job of catching fish to feed their hungry youngsters.
About 6 weeks old, the young herons sport fluffy feathers and crests like Mohawk haircuts.
Richmonders have about two to three more weeks to see the herons before the young take wing, said Mike Wilson, a biologist with the Center for Conservation Biology, part of Virginia Commonwealth University and the College of William and Mary.
The herons occupy a colony of more than 40 nests on an island along Pipeline Rapids near Shockoe Slip. When the colony was reported in 2007, it was a first for the city. The number of herons, and their fans, has grown each year.
A handful of people walked down to the river at midday yesterday to watch the tall, gawky yet elegant birds.
"I love herons," said Tammy Stevens of Varina, as an adult bird prowled for fish not 30 feet away. Stevens said the birds relieve stress for her.
"They are just really neat creatures," she said, "and it's nice to see so many in one place."
Contact Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or rspringston@timesdispatch.com.
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