Over the last week, Miller-Showers Park on the north side of town, wedged between Walnut Street and College Avenue, has continued to see lots of bird activity.

On Sunday, in the skies above the park, a red-winged blackbird was preemptively harassing a red-tailed hawk, to keep the raptor from even landing. That aerial battle is not documented in these sets of photos, which were taken on two different days.

The first set of photos features mainly shots of a red-winged blackbird harassing a great blue heron as it fished the pools. The blackbirds aggressively protect their nests, and will harass human visitors to the park, too.

The second set of photos features a couple of blue heron fishing success stories. The heron is built to fish, and scores frequent catches, which the bird swallows whole.

A posted sign at Miller-Showers states that fishing—along with swimming, diving or skateboarding—is prohibited. The B Square has not documented any sk8er blue herons at the park.

The wildlife at Miller-Showers could get some mechanical visitors sometime in the next few weeks. The ponds are supposed to be dredged sometime in the first half of the year, according to one of the goals set by city of Bloomington utilities (CBU). CBU operates the pools as part of the city’s stormwater management system.

The bathymetric survey that supports the dredging was completed late last year. Two sets of photos are included after the jump. Continue reading “Photos: Heron flouts no-fishing rule at Bloomington park, red-winged blackbird is a jerk” →