Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Fishing...Great Blue Heron Style III

Back in early January, I was at the lake (I know, big surprise) photographing herons and waterfowl. Much of the lake was covered in a thin layer of ice, including a small, shallow cove. Later in the day, the sun had warmed things enough that the ice in the cove began to melt and break up. A bunch of ducks and some geese discovered this development and began feeding like possessed zombie waterfowl. The sounds of the quacking, honking, and splashing were so loud, they drew attention from all over the lake. A heron that was perched nearby took notice of the feeding frenzy. As it wasn't his first day on the job, he knew the cracked out waterfowl would scare up the fish (by "he" it could also mean "she"). He sneaked past the silly mob and took up a position just outside the three-ring circus. In just a few minutes time, he caught 8-10 fish.

I didn't include every frame or every fish the heron caught, otherwise by the time you finished this post it would be time for next week's WBW. I'm certain you'll get the idea. If you like herons, you might also be interested in Fishing...Great Blue Heron Style, Fishing...Great Blue Heron Style II, Vole. It's What's For Dinner, and Lunch Time.


















30 comments:

Nancy said...

Wow! So great you still have open water, Brian. These shots are fantastic! Happy Valentine's Day! :)

barbara l. hale said...

I love that second picture and the smug look on the heron's face in the last one.

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky to have access to a such a great bird! Although I live across the road from a lake, I seldom get an opportunity to see one in action. Guess when warmer weather gets here I'll have to do a little explorin'.

Another great series Brian. Happy Valentine's Day

darlin said...

Fantastic post with stunning crystal clear shots. Have a great week!

TexWisGirl said...

that 2nd shot cracked me UP! so purposefully striding past the 'zoo' with such disdain for it all. :)

he caught some great sized fish, too! must have a hollow leg! ha ha!

Linda said...

Wonderful series of shots of the heron catching a snack.

DWQ said...

awesome once again Brian...really great shots brother!!

theconstantwalker said...

Superb captures... by both of you.

A great series Brian.

Carole M. said...

gosh I'd want to be down there often too if you could guarantee 'fishing photos' like those; what fun!

Martha Z said...

Great series! I'm glad I wasn't a fish in that pond.

eileeninmd said...

Great sighting, I love watching the herons fish! They do it so well. Great photos.

Tammy said...

Wow, that was some lunch! Outstanding action photos! That GBH had better luck fishing than most people I know.

mick said...

Clever bird! and a great series of photos.

Shaun said...

he is one extremely smug heron. I be the anglers are like "what the hell !!!!"

Springman said...

Another great BH series from the master himself! Were you set up perfectly or what? It's hard to believe that bird could choke down that many fish in a sitting. I have underestimated them again.
Awesome stuff Brian!

holdingmoments said...

Excellent catches; to you both :-)

Leenie said...

Wow! Nice photography! Those big blue guys are fast and shy. That one was also hungry. Way to hang in there for whatever time it took to nail those photos.

Larry said...

These are such great shots of the Great Blue Heron fishing Brian. The funny thing is, my favorite photo is the second one that looks as if the heron is trying to sneak by the frenzy of Mallards and other waterfowl. I just love that shot!

Carletta said...

Excellent sequence of shots Brian!
I like how you caught him strutting by the trees with the mallards in the background. Kinda like, 'let me show them how this is done.' :)

Unknown said...

These are awesome!
Right moment, right place!

Stewart M said...

Hi there - great set of pictures. I wonder could still fly after a feed like that.

I felt the same way about not being able to ID waders a few years ago - once you have got 6 - 10 under control is not that bad - because most of the birds I see are only from the most common species ie the 6 to 10!

Cheers - Stewart M - Australia

CameraCruise said...

Awesome series!
Love to see the beautiful heron.
Thanks for sharing.
Have a great day.
Greetings Mette

NatureFootstep said...

nice shots once more. This is an interesting bird indeed.

John said...

Great captures of the heron! He can catch bigger fish than me! ;)
J
Follow me at HEDGELAND TALES

joo said...

Quite a crowd in the first photo:)
Fishing heron is a stunner!

Anonymous said...

Masterful photography! I love this series. There is something about that second shot that is almost cartoonish - the heron trying to tiptoe past the ducks.

Modesto Viegas said...

Great series!

Mary Howell Cromer said...

These are excelllent images of one of my favorite birds. I really love them so much, enjoy watching them as well as photographing them...Beautiful!

Coy Hill said...

Great catch of the GBH! The very first photo that I had published was of a GBH that had speared a crappie, haven't gotten a shot of one with a fish since :(

Kerri Farley said...

And he says "Oh YUM" ~
These are SUPERB!!