photoartflightGreat Blue Heron – Going, Going, Gone!
I was photographing this Great Blue Heron years ago at a local park early in the morning. I was using a 100-400mm Canon Zoom @ 400mm. It is amazing what they can swallow. Here It seemed to go down quickly. Other times I have seen them take up to 20 to 30 minutes to get their prey down. Also they seem to eat a wide variety of prey. I have them eat snakes, gophers, rats and other prey you would think impossible to swallow! And you would think some prey would be painful to swallow!
photoartflight 
My goodness, that’s a meal! But I suppose if you don’t know when your next meal might come, you will eat what you get! I bet you had to be as patient as the heron to get that shot. Nice one. William
Actually the Heron caught it and it “went down” very quickly!
Incredible, fantastic shots, Reed! GULP!! 😊
It is amazing what they eat and can swallow. One time I saw one that took almost an hour to get a very large mammal of some kind to go down. Looked like it would be very painful! It then just sort of spread out in the water and stayed there resting after that.
I photographed a GBH for 45 minutes at Blackwater NWR trying to get a massive fish down. I agree, it looked so uncomfortable swallowing!!
It is amazing what they can eat!!
Great series of photos! And then he washed it down with a swig of water 🙂
Thanks! They are fun to watch & photograph!
Quite the mouthful! Nicely done, Reed!
Thanks! It is amazing what they can swallow!