(This post originally posted in June 2010)
With fish fry now in the local Conservation area, there will soon be Belted Kingfishers and Green Herons fishing the area I kayak. So far, I have seen both species, but they are not actively fishing. I believe that when the fish are a bit bigger, the birds will be there on a steady basis. Photographing the Green Heron fishing is so much fun for me. And I’m totally amazed how well-balanced this bird is, often leaning out way beyond the body. This post contains a series of images of a Green Heron (Butorides virescens) taken at this same location during one of last summers’ kayak outings.
In this first image, the heron takes aim on a small fish and is patiently waiting for it to come just a bit close to the surface:
In the next image, the Green Heron lunges for the fish, with blazing speed, extending way beyond his clenched feet:
In this next image, the Green Heron is returning to his perch, with small fish in his beak. As you can see, the size of the fish is quite small, maybe 2-inches max:
Having downed the caught fish, the Green Heron now sets his sight on more, incoming fish. Like the saying goes, “Can’t eat just one!”:
I think you will agree that the Green Heron has tremendous balance. Like the Green Heron, I’m patiently waiting, with camera drawn, for the fishing to begin!