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.
If this Tricolored Heron hadn’t moved I might not have seen him.
Surrounded by marsh grass that was over his head, he was standing on a clump of dead reeds working on his grooming. The tide was coming in and soon he’d be standing in water.
Tricolored Heron
A few Tricorlored Herons had tucked down into a canal, away from the fray of the other birds. This one wasn’t even hunting, just soaking up the morning sun.
In a little more open area another Tricolored Heron was hunting, creating rings in the water as he walked slowly along.
Meanwhile, while I was watching number two, Heron number one had moved out away from the bank a bit but was still in the same stance. I missed what had caused him to move.
A Great Blue Heron perched on an alligator ramp is passed by a Tri-colored Heron photo bombing my scene. Sometimes the larger Herons will give chase if they feel their space is invaded but this time he went back to preening.
A Tricolored Heron was perched on one of the wooden trunks along an old rice field dike. I think he was waiting on the sun, as was I, but we were to be disappointed until later in the morning.
When the sun did pop out I saw another Tricolored Heron doing a fly by.
These small herons are more apt to erratically fly in my experience, darting into the reeds or chasing each other. This one had somewhere else to get to and went by with a smooth, steady flight.
