It was another one of those mornings when the sun stubbornly stayed behind a bank of low clouds.
So the light wasn’t great but I was surrounded by wading birds. This Tricolored Heron was working on acquiring breakfast.
Stealthily and slowly he worked his way into the open water.
And was rewarded with a very small morsel.
With spider webs all around lately I’ve wondered if birds can see or care about flying into them.
Some of the orb weavers spin strands that are stronger than I break walking into them. That’s a yuck for me. The Tricolored Heron didn’t seem to care.
The water level is too high and the banks are too steep most of the way around this pond for the wading birds to hunt. This clump of floating cattails made a good spot for a Tricolored Heron to reach the water.
Of course all he did was look while I was watching.
Tricolored Herons are some of the more exuberant wading birds when they are hunting.
No standing around staring at the water for them. Pacing back and forth, with quick u-turns, highlight their hunting method.
Throw in some low stealthy behavior…
ready to pounce …
It’s a lot of work and doesn’t always result in even a snack. At least while the photographer is watching.
A Tricolored Heron was plodding along a muddy bank, pausing for a moment to contemplate his options.
Turn and lift…
and he was gone.
February 11, 2020
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.
