The little Green Heron is undeniably one of the most patient hunters in the wetlands.
We often see Green Herons, like this one, sitting on a low branch for the longest time, just watching the water below.
When he spots a tasty morsel swimming by, he stretches out his neck – his whole body, really! – and . . .
. . . . scoops up his prey in a flash!
In fact, Green Herons are famous for their amazing fishing prowess. They are even known to ‘bait’ fish by purposely dropping a feather, crumb, or other small object into the water to attract fish. Watch the second half of this Arkive.org video to see an example of this amazing behavior in action!
Well done! Great detail and you’ve captured feeding behavior perfectly. The balancing act in the second image is remarkable.
Thanks, Nick – yes, they do quite the balancing act!
I agree BJ that patience is a key signature of the all the Herons, and I have noted this life skill in my new book with our White-faced Heron. Your Green Heron is very similar in every way to our Striated or Mangrove Heron which has similar peculiar traits.
I’ll have to check out your book, AB – thanks for the reference! I think one of the herons we saw in Panama was a Striated Heron.
Wow! Great action shots, Bj! GH is demo his/her skills. 🙂
Hi Amy – these guys are extremely skillful ‘fishermen’
They are amazingly patient, beautiful shots!
Yes, they are… Thanks, Belinda
Wow, excellent photos which required time, skill and patience!
This guy was a pretty successful fisherman, so I didn’t have to wait quite as long as I sometimes do to see a Green Heron catch something!
Those are some great close-ups! They are such fun to photograph.
Yes… And they are so photogenic!
Fantastic series of action photos, BJ. I really love the way you captured the intricate golden scalloping lines (wing) of this beautiful heron. Clearly you practice patience too.
You’re so very kind, Jet. I love these little herons!
I like that intense look. Great shots.
Very intense ;). Thanks!
Very nice photos. They are a bit skittish up here, but I saw a night heron in Hawaii that was very calm around people.
The herons in this particular preserve, like this Greenie, seem quite used to people walking by. But we also observe more skittish behavior among birds who are in our more remote areas.
Awesome action series of his style of fishing! 🙂
He has quite the technique~
Great sequence! Amazing angles in the legs!
Thanks, Yaff! Yes, they are little acrobats – and they really know how to stretch!