Monday, June 18, 2012

Sword Swallowing: Great Blue Herons Feeding

Feeding time at a great blue heron nest is not a tender moment shared between parents and young


Instead it is an incredibly violent act as hungry young birds stab at the adult with sharp long bills, bills capable of piercing a fish, and then take the adults bill deep into their throat.


Even from a considerable distance the clacking of the bills can be heard easily.


Competition between siblings is intense as each vie for the adults attention



Activity at this nest was not nearly as intense as this nest as it contained only one young bird.  However even though alone, the young bird was still quite insistent upon being fed.

Viera Wetlands, Melbourne Florida.

3 comments:

  1. Lovely shots Coy, hope all is well with your and family.

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  2. Terrific sequence of these fascinating birds.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Herons are one of my favorites to photograph. I've never been able to find a rookery, though. These are great shots!

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Thanks again
Coy