I happened upon a Green Heron perched over a small pond.
Turns out he was looking for dinner and went beak first into the water.
Got it and sprung right out!
Pretty sure “it” is a frog.
And in a matter of seconds the heron swallowed it.
A juvenile Little Blue Heron poked along the edge of a pond in between some Cypress knees looking for a meal.
He quickly swallowed a couple of small finds.
After a bit he flew up onto a bridge railing and showed off his mottled blue coloration. Sometime in their second year the Little Blues become fully blue.
Luck and being aware of movement play a role in nature photography. I happened to catch this fellow moving and only when I got a little closer and peered around some limbs could I tell it was a Yellow-crowned Night-heron.
I was then surprised to see a nest, with a nice curtain of Spanish Moss on one side and leaves on the other.
There were two adults present and after a bit one of them stepped out for a photograph or two.
A Great Blue Heron flew to a high perch above the pond after feeding.
A storm was brewing in the distance, the GBH carried on preening.
A storm was approaching and it was getting dark late in the afternoon. I was graced with a fly by just as I was heading for the car.
This Great Egret had places to go.
There was very little reflection on the shadowy side of the pond, it seemed like the egret was flying into a cave.
A Yellow-crowned Night-heron looking right back at me.
The Great Egrets have chosen some different spots to nest this year, including this one that I can almost touch from the nature trail. I saw two eggs a few days before I took these images.
Viability of any chicks is at risk from alligator raiding, hawks, and the likely probability of human intervention.
S/he does have a wonderful view of the pond. Although I’m not sure they notice, there is also some entertainment in the skinny tree off to her left with a GBH nest and at least one Anhinga nest.
Back-lit by the setting sun, the Egret was firmly in place when I walked back past the nest.
Great Blue Herons are known for stealthy, slow hunting.
This fellow defied the norm when he caught and swallowed three fish in a matter of two or three minutes.
The long feather sticking up is part of the breeding plumage.
He is likely eating for a family. The adults fly back to the nest then regurgitate the food for the chick(s).
It will take a lot of these little fish to sustain the adult and chicks.
This spot seems to be quite popular with the Green Herons right now.
As with most things bird, it probably has to do with food.
There is water beneath that grass, hard to say how deep, but enough to support the kinds of squiggly things little herons like to eat.
I missed the Little Blue Heron catching his lunch, but did see him wrestling a bit with it.
Seeing the action from behind the bird gave an interesting view of the fish.
Finally, lined up correctly…
… and down the hatch.
