This afternoon I spent some time hanging out with a heron.
You see, I woke up this morning with my soul craving beauty and stillness, but with my brain berating me that I was too busy to go gallivanting about. So I made a deal with myself. If I could knock four or five things off my to-do list, then I would reward myself with a stroll along the Chattahoochee. Once the proper motivation was in place, I tackled the tasks with gusto and then headed off to the park.
Once I got there, I crept down one of the paths leading to the river where I encountered this beautiful Great Blue Heron wading in the water. I stood and watched him do his best imitation of a statue for about a half hour.
Occasionally he would coil his neck or slowly take a step forward.
Eventually I gave up on seeing him do anything exciting and moved on down the trail in search of other creatures to photograph. When I was heading back to my car I felt prompted to stop and see if he was still standing there. I’m so glad I did.
He was still there, and this time as I watched he slowly stirred the water with his foot. (I “googled” this behavior when I got home and learned that he was trying to stir up prey.)
It must have worked because he suddenly plunged into the water…
and came up with a fish impaled on his spear-like beak.
He shook the fish, swallowed it whole, and then spent a few moments fluffing his feathers.
With his belly full and his feathers fluffed, he bid me farewell and flew away.
He was a delightful companion to have on this lovely spring day, and a more than satisfying reward for scratching a few tasks off my to-do list!
Wow! That was so good! A majestic bird indeed and to see him catch a fish, that was so cool to see!
Alan
It really was cool. I was so excited to see him catch the fish!
Awesome, Kathy. Thank you for sharing!
How totally cool! We saw four great blue herons this weekend, but they were all flying overhead and far away, so no pictures for us. I’ve never seen one with a fish, so you definitely had a great moment there.
I’m glad you returned to see if he was still there. Awesome “right time right place” photo op!
Another coup for being a patient observer! Love the bit about the foot stirring up the water to attract the fish. I’ve never seen them do that.
I’d never seen one do anything but stand or fly before, so I was thrilled to get to see him in action.
How wonderful that you got to spend some time with this beautiful bird. Your photos are gorgeous!
Thanks Linda. It was a treat to get to see him catch the fish.
What a cool experience! Musta been awesome