Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
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![]() These spectacular giant birds are a photographer's dream; all they lack in that respect is rarity, as they are common to abundant in and near water throughout North America. |
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![]() Above and below, Great Blue Herons in characteristic foraging stance, crouched and ready to strike. |
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![]() The herons above and below were walking along trails through grassland, probably scanning for small mammals that they might capture: the one above, across my path; the one below ambling ahead of me on the trail and appearing to enjoy the greenery and flowers. |
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![]() Illustrating its ability to find food away from the aquatic habitat typical for the species, this heron has captured a gopher by staking out its underground burrow in a meadow with no body of water nearby. As I watched and clicked away with my camera, the bird killed its prey and swallowed it whole within a minute after seizing it. A series of photos recording the episode can be seen here. | |
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![]() Above, a juvenile; the crown is solid gray rather than black and white, there is no brown on the neck, and wing coverts are cinnamon-fringed. |
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![]() Adult Great Blue with two nestlings playing with each other at bill-dueling. |
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![]() A pair courting, with the adult courtship version of bill-dueling (compare nestlings, next image up); see more of this mating sequence below. |
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![]() Toward the end of the courtship, this male successively fetched three large branches which he presented to the female, this being one; she accepted and placed the branches crosswise as if for a nest. |
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![]() The pair in the two images above, now concluding the courtship with copulation. For a sequence of eleven images showing more of this spectacular episode of courting and mating, see here. |