Tricolored Heron on the Hunt

Tricolored Herons are very common around our area so I sometimes take them for granted. If I get some nice light I will focus on them, especially these days when they are in breeding plumage, but typically I just observe them as they fish along the shore. This time I had to stop as I found one feeding in a new way. This bird was using the shading technique usually seen in Reddish Egrets over on the coast.



The Sun was setting and the heron was spreading its wings to create some shade beneath it. Fish often head to more shady areas, especially when the weather is warmer.



This probably also helps the bird see better against the glare.



Once the prey is spotted they can prepare to strike.



If they fail then they go back into the hunting posture.



Just behind the heron, a new family of Wood Ducks makes their way across the muddy flats and toward more open water.



Sometimes the heron does a sort of dance to get a better angle on the fish.



I love this head-on view with the heron contorting its neck to get a better look at the situation.



Success! Though the fish are small here (hard to see even in this close-up), our bird managed to pluck one out of the water and gulp it down.



Life in the big Lake.