We were traveling by pontoon boat down the Sierpe River that flows through the largest mangrove swamp of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica into the Pacific Ocean. Me, several other photographers and our boat captain and a guide were all scanning the shoreline for birds, crocodiles, iguanas, snakes, monkeys–you name it. The Osa Peninsula is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.

I’m not sure who first spied the baby Green Heron (Butorides virescens), still covered with down, struggling among the mangrove and ficus roots along the bank. But no sooner had the shout gone up and the photographers raised their cameras in unison, than a Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) swooped in out of nowhere. Target: the baby heron.

The people on the boat shouted a collective “NO!” But mamma heron was more useful. In a heartbeat, she challenged the hawk, taking up a station near her baby. The hawk diverted to a nearby branch and perched there, giving new meaning to the phrase “watched like a hawk.” Mamma heron plumped her feathers to make herself look bigger than she actually was, bobbed her head and scolded. Finally, the hawk gave up and flew away.

The people on the boat heaved a sigh of relief. Mind you, we did not begrudge the hawk a meal. We just didn’t want it to be that particular baby heron.

Mothers: Loving, nurturing, but also fierce, courageous, saying “yes” over and over again to both the joy and the pain and suffering that goes with unconditional mothering.