Just a few feet away from the Mottled Ducks of my last post a Tricolored Heron was standing around.
He poked the water a few times and made some ripples but he didn’t seem to be actively fishing.
He settled in and I moved on.
A wider view of the pond and the wildlife:
Baily Tract, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 2020
A Tricolored Heron made a grand entrance, landing on the edge of a canal that runs along the edge of a marsh.
He immediately started patrolling the water, looking for lunch.
Alas, this was just a piece of grass, not the hoped for fish.
Undaunted, he reversed direction and continued the hunt.
November 27, 2019
Tricolored Herons seem to be around all the marsh areas I frequent this fall. I don’t remember that being the case other years.
This Tricolored Heron took advantage of a fallen tree that was hanging out over the pond to soak up some sun.
And preen.
Just a few feet down the path I got a different colored background created by reflections in the water.
Here are a few more Tricolored Heron images from last month when I saw so many.
This one wasn’t having much luck with his fishing but made nice water ripples and I liked the intersection of his beak with the reeds.
The patient standing pose is common among the bigger herons and I often see the Great Blue Heron standing out in the open like this. The Tricolored Herons don’t seem to do it as often, tending to stick to the pond edges.
Tricolored Herons were dotted all around a small pond last week at Bear Island WMA.
Most of them were sticking to the edges of the water, but these three were interested in hanging out in a group of bushes and kept swapping spots.
The one on the left had briefly flown off and returned with his pals intently watching his landing.
The marsh grasses have taken on a variety of hues as the summer progresses, perhaps those greens looking a bit fake.
There were a couple dozen Tricolored Herons dotting the sides of the canal that opened into a small pond. Some of them relocated as I approached.
Patient hunters, the Tricolored Herons will stare at the water a long time. This one had just stabbed the water for a fish creating a ripple.
As I walked further down the dike this one flew right over me, checking me out as he went.
I’ve documented the Tricorlored Heron Dance before, most recently just about a year ago. Today’s heron was in a pond that was draining on the opposite side of a small dike from last year’s post.
These herons go from standing completely still to few skips across the water.
This time he completely lifted off.
Then in a matter of seconds was stock still again.
The water was jumping with little fish that the heron seemed to be following but he didn’t make any selections.
A Tricolored Heron standing tall next to an old pier piling.
The majority of the water has been let out of one of the rice field ponds at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in advance of some repairs to be made on the back dike. This has left a mud flat that is very attractive to the wading birds.
From a distance I thought the other creature was a stick but I could clearly see the eyes of a small Alligator as I got closer.
The last image is focused on the Alligator, that was content to hold that spot while the Tricolored Heron hunted behind him.
