When I left the house this morning to go to the recently reopened Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, it was 17 °F (-8 °C), perhaps too cold for the birds to show up. Sure enough there were not many, and most of them were seagulls that live there throughout the year.
However, just as I was about to leave the refuge, I saw a Great Blue Heron catching a fish for lunch.
All of the above, and some other intervening action, mostly shaking and turning (not displayed here), took less than a minute.
Pingback: Great Blue Heron Fishing | neihtn
jaggersfootprint said:
You have a real talent and a fine hand . Please do more 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you! I will try to do more whenever I can.
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Lignum Draco said:
It put on quite the show for you. Great catch by the Heron and great shots by you.
By the way, are you photographing from a hide, or are you in the open?
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neihtn2012 said:
Actually I saw the heron while driving. I got out, set up my tripod and camera and got ready in time to see it dive head first into the water. It did not seem to care whether I was there or not.
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seasiangirl said:
Wonderful shots
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you!
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T Ibara Photo said:
What a catch!! 😳😊
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neihtn2012 said:
Indeed, Takami! It was fun to watch and take these pictures.
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bayphotosbydonna said:
Fantastic action series, Hien! It is amazing to watch a GBH maneuver and swallow a fish, love it!
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bluebrightly said:
Perfect timing! I guess it was worth braving the cold!
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neihtn2012 said:
It was definitely worth it! 🙂
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firststepoutblog said:
just wow
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks! Glad you like the photos.
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Tiny said:
This is a great series of shots! It always amazes me to see how fast they eat their catch, however big 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Tiny. They sure eat fast, and often!
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nhi said:
Great captures in Great Details. Love that
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Anh Nhi. You would have enjoyed the scene, even if it was very cold.
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dvukhac said:
Great shots of the beautiful bird. Dung
Sent from my iPhone
>
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Glad that you like those shots!
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katelon said:
What amazing captures!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Katelon!
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Sue Slaght said:
That is amazing to see. I thought you might have to do the Heimlich manoeuvre for a serious choking episode! 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Ha, ha! Kidding aside, some herons have died when they could not cope with the big fish they swallowed.
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Sue Slaght said:
Oh dear I didn’t know that or I certainly wouldn’t have made a joke about it.
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neihtn2012 said:
Don’t worry Sue. I didn’t know about it either until I read about it on another blog here on WordPress.
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AngelaFurtado1 said:
Wonderful captures!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Angela!
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Amy said:
Great action shots, Hien!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Amy!
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Eliza Waters said:
Excellent series of captures, Hein. It’s a wonder that the fish’s spikes don’t bother it. The only time I saw a heron catch a fish, it took it to shore and beat it senseless before eating it! Obviously, it wasn’t a pro like this guy!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Eliza. I think the fish was pierced all the way through and probably died within seconds, so the heron had no trouble swallowing it whole.
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