great blue heron

Tag

By Off-kilter

Jordan Lake. You got to the middle of the week, Wednesday, and then all of a sudden you find yourself off-kilter. I mean, just because the other great blue heron thinks that’s his section of the shore doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to at least fly by without getting in trouble!

By Thief!

Jordan Lake. The immature great blue heron found an easy source of fish this morning. Watch as he raids the absent fisherman’s bait fish supply. I’ve seen more than one young heron do this same theft through the years! Always fun to watch … until the fisherman returns and off goes the well-stuffed heron.

By Territory Face-Off

Jordan Lake. This morning two of the local great blue herons decided to have a face-off. Territory is always critical even if it’s for only about 20 feet of shoreline. The bird to the right is one of this year’s great blue heron fledglings and the bird to the left is older. The name of the game is to keep your beak higher up in the air than the other. The youngster eventually drops his beak closer to the water and the older bird strides off triumphantly.

By Can the Heron Swallow the Fish?

Jordan Lake. This juvenile great blue heron found himself a fair sized fish… actually a rather large fish. The question is: could he swallow it. The long pauses in the video are when he is letting all of his throat structures relax so that he can literally wrap himself around the fish before finishing the swallow. I hope you enjoy the meal.

By Great Blue Heron

Jordan Lake. I am used to seeing the great blue heron – standing tall and still as a statue – as it waits to catch a fish, that I find myself quite fascinated when I can photograph one in-flight through the trees. It always makes an interesting composition. I hope you agree!