The great thing about the Scarecrow is that it requires a heat signature as well as movement which is why slow moving predators get zapped as well as the faster ones and wind blown grasses and waterfalls won't set it off. I did discover that the highest splash from it is light enough that small birds love to set it off. A group of them will sit in the tall Marissi Viburnum until one flies low enough to trigger the spray then they all have fun in the shower. It attracts the squirrels and chippers, too but they aren't smart enough to set it off, so they come running when they see the birds flock. They did figure out the outside reach of the spray after getting knocked head over heels a few times. I have caught myself a few times and once or twice a group of teens trying to find a shortcut to the high school, and also, a couple of landscapers were caught by the spray. Not only does it keep away the predators, it is great entertainment. The only resistant critters are the large dogs that sometimes get out of their yards. I think they play with the garden hose at home. Sandy

The female heron was attacked by a Great Horned Owl twice, early in the morning on April 8 and 9, while she was incubating the eggs. She wasn't noticeably harmed and the eggs are OK. No attack this morning. A little unpleasant reality injected into the pastoral scene. Cornell posted a video on YouTube. Great Horned Owl attacks Great Blue Heron in Sapsucker Woods Claire

One thinks of a heron as a slow, deliberate stalker...if this was a crow chick, I wonder if it was still in the nest or maybe out on a limb or even on the ground. If the move was made on a chick still in the nest high in a tree this would totally rewrite the way I think of herons going about getting their meals. As many pairs of crow eyes as there are back there, this was one bold heron thanks for the link...I'm on dial-up so YT is a pain for us, but I will set it up late one night and let it download this one.

here is a shot of a great egret. notice that the egret has black legs and a thinner and brighter bill