Yesterday morning, despite thick cloud cover and intermittent light snow, I decided to go looking for birds. When it comes to bird photography, I can be a glutton for punishment.
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This statuesque Great Blue Heron was the first bird I found. ‘He’ barely moved while I was with him the first time, so I didn’t stay there long. The hundreds of tiny white specks you see in the setting are what I call “micro-snow” – tiny falling ice crystals that were so small I wasn’t even aware of them, except for barely noticing them hitting my windshield.
When the heron didn’t move for so long, I went looking for other birds in a different area. When I returned to the heron six minutes later, he had something large and fluorescent orange in his bill that I couldn’t identify with the naked eye. My first thought was that it might be a piece of pumpkin but that didn’t make much sense. Then I wondered if it could be an orange tennis ball but that seemed equally illogical.
I couldn’t tell what it was until I got him in my viewfinder.
1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
It turned out to be one of the largest, most brightly colored goldfish I’ve seen. Someone had apparently released their pet goldfish into the pond. It has a terminal mouth and no barbels, so I don’t believe it’s a koi.
For about the first five minutes I was with the heron he made no attempt to swallow the fish – he just stood there in this exact pose. I had the impression he’d tried to swallow it before I got there and failed because it was too big, but I don’t know that for fact.
1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Finally, after a long time, he dipped the fish into the water and…
1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
turned it headfirst in his bill before attempting to swallow it.
1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
That fish was a chunk, especially for a goldfish.
1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
He was making progress but very slowly. There was no head-pumping like there often is when a heron tries to swallow a big fish. Instead, he appeared to be trying to ‘walk’ the fish down into his throat by using his bill to move it from side to side with…
1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
the aid of gravity.
1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
It’s amazing how much their…
1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
throat and neck can expand to accommodate a large meal. This is the last I saw of the still living fish (its tail was wiggling until it disappeared down the heron’s throat).
1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Turning the ‘corner’ really made his upper neck bulge, almost grotesquely.
This heron swallowing a goldfish was a first for me. Which is probably why it took me so long to realize what it was.
Ron
PS – Some readers may be interested in knowing that the broken taillight housing on my pickup has now been replaced and is working. At the exact moment I was researching getting an aftermarket replacement from Amazon rather than purchasing an OEM replacement from Ford, I got a text from my good friend and neighbor, Shane Smith. Within minutes Shane had ordered the aftermarket replacement for me. It arrived Saturday and we installed it late yesterday afternoon. Thanks, Shane.
It would have cost me over $500 from Ford (installed) but the aftermarket version from Amazon was only $40 and to me they seem identical. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark…
Happy New Year, Ron. GBH vs. Giant Goldfish is the perfect drama as we enter 2025. Gives me a little hope if one expands the metaphor to other orange beings.
Glad your taillight has been sorted! 💜
WOW! Great shoots. I love the Great Blue Heron and never miss an opportunity to photograph one but never have I seen one gobble up a goldfish. Thanks for sharing.
What an incredible series, Ron! Poor “Goldie” – probably not the outcome the owner was thinking of when they released it into that pond! Besides the size, would the color have caught the attention of the GBH? Do they see color?
Good news about your tail light! Glad you have a handy, tech-savvy neighbor – that’s a pretty astonishing difference in cost.
And Happy New Year – I just heard a couple of practice booms outside. Hopefully our fog, clouds, probable rain will dampen the “festivities” tonight.
“Do they see color?”
They see color better than we do, Carolyn – including UV.
Oh, that hurts just to see those pictures!! He may need to visit a veterinarian gastroenterologist after that meal.
Great series, thanks!
Thanks, Quentin.
That was a humungous meal. And yes, it made me feel more than a tad unwell.
I am very glad that your tail light has been fixed – and so cheaply. That is an eye watering and pocket burning difference in price.
The New Year has landed here, though it is not yet dawn. Fireworks were scheduled (of course) but I didn’t hear any – which makes me believe that the enthusiastic amateurs didn’t find any this year. Good.
EC, I hope I have the same luck with fireworks. Ha, fat chance of that.
😳 I hope that fish finally made its way all the way down the hatch. And I’m glad I’m not a fish (goldfish or otherwise).
Happy New Year, Ron, though like you, I have questions about the possibility … and I’ll be watching like this: 🫣
Thanks, Chris. These are scary times.
What a tail ending for the Year 2024! Nice the Great Blue Heron found a good meal and you were there to grab some pictures. To quote “That’s the way it was”. Happy New Year tomorrow.
Thanks, Trudy. It’ll be a “happy” New Year for me when the inevitable fireworks are over.
Wow, great pictures! Happy New Year.
Thanks, Laurie. On both counts.
Good morning Ron & Happy New Year! Those are amazing shots. Also amazing is how the GBH swallowed a fish that large. Earlier this year I got some shots of a young GBH with a Fistula in the throat area where it’s tongue came out of it. The GBH caught a Sucker and managed to swallow it in spite of the Fistula. I am so happy you are able to get out a bit more.
Thanks, Shirley. That young heron must have been interesting to see.
Wonderful captures! This is a truly great sequence of a heron managing to swallow a fish that was large relative to the bird.
Glad you got a new taillight at $40 and not $500. Reminds me of the $400 price Subaru wanted to charge me for replacing an ignition key. It turned out that as of about November 2023 Subaru had successfully prevented others from providing duplicates (the key requires installation of special codes). Fortunately I found the missing key.
Thanks, Robert. I’ve been fearful of losing the ignition key for my pickup – for the exact reason you mentioned. If I were king, I’d throw all those corporate kleptocrats behind bars. And auto execs would be first on the list.
Great shots, Ron. Interesting and a bit scary series. I hope the heron was able to get the fish all the way down. Did you find yourself trying to swallow in an effort to help the heron? Who knew a common goldfish could grow to be so large? Happy New Year!
“Did you find yourself trying to swallow in an effort to help the heron?”
Not that I can recall, Melanie. I was too busy being the photographer.
WOW! Wonder if they ever DO choke on things like that? Goldfish do get HUGE given ample room and feed – also destructive when released where they don’t belong. Lot of “ignorant” folks out there when it comes to dumping species where they don’t belong.
Glad the tail light lens got fixed for a LOT less than OEM. Can be a crap shoot on quality of after market items BUT! 😉
Winter has arrived as it usually does after the Solstice – about 6″ of snow that actually has come moisture in it so far. Roads are a mess – one of the “joys” of being retired……. 😉
Happy New Year! Hopefully 2025 is good……
“Can be a crap shoot on quality of after market items”
That’s exactly what I was worried about, Judy. But so far, so good.
I’m afraid I’m far from an optimist when it comes to 2025.
Me either on 2025 – more like time to get the chastity belt out…… 😉
OMG—-the heron won’t have to hunt until after New Year’s Day–
I hope he’ll be able to get off the ground if he needs to fly ! I really
enjoyed the opening image– the brambles in the background made
a lovely echo of the graceful “necklace” of long feathers around his
throat, and the tiny grains of snow added a veil of softness to the
whole scene– thanks…….may the year to come bring you many
more of such extraordinary opportunities !
Thanks for the good wishes, Kris. I couldn’t even see those tiny snow pellets, until I happened to notice them bouncing off of my windshield. I couldn’t see them through my viewfinder either.
Hi Ron, You’ve captured an excellent photo series of a G-B Heron eleminating a human introduced suspect non-native invassive Goldfish.
Thanks, Donald. A good friend of mine calls folks who dump pet fish into our waterways “thoughtless bucket biologists”.
Well that was entertaining!! Thanks Ronnie
Glad you enjoyed it, Sue. That Shakespeare quote from “Hamlet” made me think of you.
P.S. Denmark is fine! It’s our corporate kleptocracy that’s rotten and getting worse.
Geez. I feel like I am choking just looking at those photos.
Don’t lose your breakfast, Michael. Or your coffee…