Sunday, September 10, 2006

Silently Watching


A Great Blue Heron watches from the shadows while partially concealed by a cypress tree. We were entreated to this close encounter while vacationing in Florida this past February.

The Great Blue Heron is fortunate that his plumage never attracted the hunters of the plume trade thus his numbers were never decimated as was many of the other large birds. Herons primarily eat fish and are sometimes killed by misguided persons believing they are doing a good deed.

Herons watch and wait nearly motionlessly until an unwary fish moves into their kill zone. With a lighting quick strike they spear the fish through with their bill.


Later we watched while this bird speared and consumed a crappie.

2 comments:

Chad Oneil Myers said...

That was a fun evening. Good photos.

Anonymous said...

Man, I have been waiting for that shot for months! I have taken lost of photos of these guys but I never can get them with a fish!