Description

During my life; being that I have spent much of my free time either on or near the water, I have observed
herons eat a plethora of different items but this is a first. The mature heron in this picture
caught and ate not one but two of these large bullhead catfish. They were approximately
12 inches long each! I had gone to this small pond in Fayette County to hopefully get some pictures
of the Northern Shoveler ducks that are moving through in nice numbers. I had not been in my spot
very long when I noticed this heron about 35-40 feet away; focusing on the shovelers I did not
pay the heron much attention. However, I heard splashing from his direction and was astonished
to see him with the catfish in his beak. I was even more amazed over the next 10 minutes as
he manipulated this fish (erect fins and all!) and swallowed it head first. About 10 minutes later he
repeated the same course of action with another catfish that was only slightly smaller! For me it was
a really remarkable event and I am ecstatic that I was able to capture this stately bird and his catch with a
quality still photograph.

Category

Category 1: Birds with Food, or at the Feeder

Species

• Great Blue Heron