I know some of you are stellar bird photographers, and have undoubtedly spent a LOT more time at it than I have, but I saw something today that was quite interesting to me.  My capture(s) aren't very clear, because the birds were pretty far away over the water at noontime, and my camera is pathetic, but here's a stitch of the two protagonists:  a heron and what I think is an eagle.  The heron was perched on some kind of wooden structure floating in the water (maybe a log?).  An eagle came and did several swooping fly-bys, squawking at the heron, which stretched it neck out very long and hissed quite loudly (like a goose) for a long time, until the eagle gave up and landed a little ways away on a piling.  The heron then settled down visibly saying "HMPH!"  having defended his domain.  I didn't know herons hissed or made any sound, really; am I just woefully ignorant of these big birds' behavior?  In my defense I grew up in Los Angeles, where the biggest and most exotic birds I ever saw were crows or pigeons.  Any feedback?

I don't know much about birds, except most of them fly ;)   A very interesting story you have, and one of those unforgettable moments in nature.

What camera do you have? Practice makes perfect (and so does learning from others)

Sounds like you have had a Daphne Du Maurier moment   

Yes Herons are very  able to look after themselves from that eagle which  may be a white tailed sea eagle if indeed there was any white to its tail hard to say it could also be a golden eagle or Stellar sea eagle dependant on the locale