Heron in the Big City

[QuietOne]

Twice he decided I was close enough and took off.

[JAS_Photo]

Cool Dude (the bird)! Aren't Koi ornamental fish that someone would probably prefer were not eaten by a big old blue/grey bird no matter how cool of a bird it was?

[Hillbillygirl]

Nice capture of the inflight, even with the busy background.
Yes, Koi would be expensive dining for sure, obviously an upper class heron.

[Bambi]

this heron has obviously decided that the taste of Koi is worth the risk! these are great captures! thanks.

[Marko]

Very cool set - I'm loving the 2 shots in post 3

[kat]

The last shot is really good. Love the people on the rock.

[QuietOne]

Maybe this heron has a Diner's Club card, to help with his expensive tastes.

They're opportunistic birds. They'll eat anything they can catch and wrestle down their throats. I've seen one beat a snake bloody against a rock. I could hear the crack across the river. I've seen photos of them eating large frogs and ducklings. And as you can see below, a good sized catfish is an easy meal. I actually saw that one fly away with the fish still speared on the beak!


I'm not sure they're very bright. I was standing on a deck next to the river, very lightly screened by leaves. I was quite visible, and he looked my way every time I moved. But I guess he couldn't figure out what I was, so he went back to fishing.