The Hunter

 

Spotted this morning at Pineview Reservoir! 

During nesting season, male ospreys do almost all the fishing for their families. They'll eat the fish head for a quick energy boost, then deliver the rest to the nest, where the female protects the chicks and handles the feeding.

This osprey circled over one spot, looking carefully down, but unfortunately didn't catch anything.

Foster's Tern is Diving for Fish

It was pure luck, when one of Forster's terns began to hover in the air, preparing to dive into the water and then the bird began flying low in search of fish.

All terns dive head first into the water to catch small fish.

The tern emerges from the water with a tiny fish in its beak.

Successful fishing is over!  Terns eat their prey in flight to ensure that their food is not stolen by other terns or gulls. 

Generally, life is good.

Usual Routine

 

Breakfast comes first.   

Later it would be nice to clean the feathers.

and continue to fish.

Generally, life is good.

An Unusual Place to Fish

A few days ago on one frosty morning I hoped to see at least one Great Blue Heron and, to my joy, I found one. 

The Heron stood on frozen dry plants, a rather unusual spot for fishing, shifting from foot to foot and trying to warm up and wasn't particularly happy about it.

 

At some point, the Heron suddenly spread his wings wide and turned around.  Was it a fish or something else?  It's hard to say.

Eventually, the Great Blue decided to move on to a better fishing spot.  

Decisions, decisions... Should I stay here or not?

The Heron is inspecting a new fishing spot and will stay here for some time but he fails to catch the fish.

Great Blue Herons have adapted to our harsh, cold winters but they have difficulty finding food. 

Generally, life is good.

Great Egret at Farmington Bay -II.

It was an early, gloomy October morning in Farmington Bay.  It was damp, gray and cold and I didn't expect to see a single bird. 

About half an hour later I saw several Great Egrets in the distance.  They were far away but slowly heading towards the shore.  One of them, the bravest, came  closer and closer.  

Suddenly the gloomy damp morning no longer seemed gloomy, and all I could do was wait to see what would happen next and hope for luck.

Soon when Egret approached the shore it took off but not far. Was this a mistake or not? Or did something scare him away?  A few seconds later the bird had returned to its original place. 

Looking at this photo, a simple mantra from a fairy tale came out of my memory: catch fish, big and small. 

That morning the egret was mainly catching small fish and was happy.

It's hard to tell whether this pose is graceful or awkward. I tend to think that the pose is very graceful because at its core an egret  is a very graceful bird.

Generally, life is good!

Hunting in The Swamp

I could have easily missed this Juvenile Black-crowned Heron, but fortunately this did not happen. He blended in perfectly with his surroundings and chose a great hunting spot.

It's always interesting to watch how herons plan their hunt, waiting for their prey very patiently and occasionally taking a slow step forward.

When prey is spotted, the Heron leans forward, bending its neck slightly and carefully planning a single explosive strike.  And in a fraction of a second the bird grabs the fish in its bill.

If the fish is large Heron throws it into the air and then swallows fish. Smaller prey like minnows go down with no trouble.

Another small fish was caught.  

The Heron's sharp, pointed beak is not used for piercing prey.  During a quick strike the bird opens its beak and holds the prey with it.  

What surprises me most is that Herons calculate every single movement during the hunt and it must be precise.  

Generally, life is good.

 

Black-crowned Night Heron's call.

Dragonfly for Breakfast

 

This summer is very different at the Bear River MBR.  I have never seen so many Snowy Egrets before. There are flocks of them out there. 

The egrets seem to be everywhere. Some of them prefer to gather in flocks, others are more independent and fish alone.

The Snowy Egret above surprised me because it caught a dragonfly for breakfast, which the bird shook vigorously in the air for a long time before swallowing it.  I had never seen anything like it and was happy to get some photos of this interesting moment.

Generally, life is good.

Snowy Egret Caught a Frog

My passion for bird portraits is time tested and has never left me.   Whenever I get the chance, I always try to take close up shots of the bird and hope I get something interesting.

So, this morning a Snowy Egret successfully fished, even caught a small frog.

Generally, life is good.

Together for a Short Time

 

In early May, I was lucky enough to watch a Great Blue Heron joining a Great Egret to hunt together.

At the beginning the Great Blue Heron followed his new "friend" and seemed to  enjoy Egret's company.

The proximity to the Great Egret didn't bother the Great Blue at all but I couldn't say the same about the Great Egret.

In the end, the Great Egret decided to break away and go fishing on its own.  

It's difficult to say what brought these two birds together. My guess is they found the great fishing spot and decided to share it for a short time. 

The Great Egret is fishing alone. 

Generally, life is good!

Fishing Is Not Always Successful

 

The Black-crowned Night Heron landed with such strength and determination that I was sure that something unexpected would follow after that.  

The Heron plunged its head into the water and probably waited for prey to brush against its beak.  

Unfortunately, there was no catch at that time.  Sometimes fishing ends without a catch.  Did the Black-crowned Night Heron dive at the wrong angle or was it shallow there and the Heron missed the fish?  It hard to say what happened.

Generally, life it good.

Black-crowned Night Heron is Fishing

 

Like all Herons, Black-crowned Herons use the same fishing techniques.

They stand still in shallow water for a long time, waiting for fish to approach and then throw their head and neck forward, like the Heron in the photo above, into the water to catch prey. 

The Heron I photographed recently during fishing seems to have caught a crayfish. Apparently, crayfish is popular on the heron menu.

The Heron also have pulled silt out of the water. I was sure that it would swallow it along with a prey, but I was mistaken.

 

The Herons swallow fish whole. They are using their forward-facing eyes to determine which end of the fish is the head and which is the tail.  They also swallow the fish head first, so that the fish slide smoothly down their throats.  

Fish is swalled but silt left outside.

Black-crowned Herons tend to hunt on their own and usually during night or early morning.  

But during the day they will nest together in the colonies.  I read that colonies have up to twelve nests in the single tree but I have never seen them.

Life goes on.

Successful Fishing - II.

There are sometimes trips to Bear River MBR that are filled with all sorts of opportunities.  My last trip was just like that.  Spending about two and a half hours with Great blue herons and watching them up close was a real treat.

I noticed how differently herons fish in winter. Some prefer to fish in the water, while others stay on the shore, carefully and patiently peering into the water and waiting for fish to come.

 

The Great Blue Heron does many things that other herons chose not to do, including swimming in deep water with apparent grace and comfort.  Great Blues can swim and not only swim but also catch fish while swimming.

 

When I look at the victorious pose of this Great Blue with caught fish in its beak, I think how strong and beautiful these birds are.

Life goes on.

Great Egret is Fishing at Farmington Bay

 

On that cloudy, windy and cold morning, I was lucky enough to watch and photograph how a Great Egret was fishing, preening and just resting.

I even managed to make a portrait of this extraordinary bird.

Generally, life is good!