Heron fishing in the Potomac River

October 31, 2013 by Mike Powell

If you are a heron, how do you get a fish down your throat and into your stomach after you have caught it? Some animals and birds of prey might tear off a bite-size piece of the fish using claws or talons. Herons don’t have that option. They have to somehow maneuver their catch within their bills until they are in a position to swallow it whole, all the time at risk of dropping their catch back into the water and losing it.

I enjoy watching Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) fish. They seem to be extremely focused, but patient as they wait for the optimal moment for a strike. This past weekend, I observed this heron in the waters of the Potomac River, just south of the city of Alexandria, Virginia. I watched and waited with my camera focused and ready until the heron struck and pulled a modest fish out of the water.

The heron made several adjustments to the fish’s position by making small movements with his head until it was in the ready position shown in the second photo. He them gave a little flip of his head, launching the fish into the air, and opened his mouth wider, as you can see in the first image. In a split-second the fish was gone and the heron was swallowing.

Every time I see a heron fishing, I am hoping that I will see him pull a really big fish out of the water, as I have seen in photos on other blogs. So far I have seen the herons catch only small fish and an occasional crayfish or frog, but I hope to be ready when a heron catches a “big one,” so that I won’t have to be the one who tells stories of “the one that got away.”

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea herodias, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, fishing, Great Blue Heron, heron | 18 Comments

18 Responses

on October 31, 2013 at 6:00 am | Reply Mjollnir

Great photos as always Mike. I’m always fascinated how these birds manage to manoeuvre fish into the right position 😀
on October 31, 2013 at 6:40 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

I’ve heard of herons choking to death from getting fish caught tail first in their throat, so all of the fish flipping is important.
on October 31, 2013 at 7:19 am | Reply acuriousgal

So sweet, great pics
- on October 31, 2013 at 7:30 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Great Blue Herons are one of my favorite birds and I enjoy watching them every time that I see them (though usually I can’t get shots like these).
on October 31, 2013 at 8:19 am | Reply nliakos

Hi Mike, we saw a heron trying to swallow a pretty large fish once. The fish got stuck halfway down. It took a long time, but the bird was finally able to swallow it. I wonder what the fish was thinking…
on October 31, 2013 at 8:23 am | Reply Ed

Excellent shots..:-))
- on October 31, 2013 at 7:00 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Ed. One of the good things about Great Blue Herons is that they are big, which gives me a better chance to get a shot.
on October 31, 2013 at 9:17 am | Reply Jet Eliot

Whatever the size of the fish, it takes a great amount of patience to even see them get one. As always, spectacular photos.
- on October 31, 2013 at 6:59 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I am pretty patient and awfully persistent. I am always happy to get shots of a heron, even if they are standing still, but it’s especially nice when they are in action.
on October 31, 2013 at 10:47 am | Reply Sue

Ooh, nice shots, Mike. You have to be pretty quick to catch these guys in the act. I assume you set the shutter speed pretty high? Your photos are nice and sharp, and I’m sure there was movement involved here.
- on October 31, 2013 at 6:58 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  There was some movement, but there heron is pretty deliberate once he has snagged a fish. I had my camera set on burst mode, so I was able to get a number of shots, of which these two were probably the best.
on October 31, 2013 at 12:09 pm | Reply Lyle Krahn

Great captures. That really is an amazing process by which they swallow the fish. Good luck with being ready for the big one. I can watch a hawk for 20 minutes and as soon as rest my hand it flies off!
- on October 31, 2013 at 6:56 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  It’s hard to be vigilant for an extended period and it can be a little frustrating when the moment of action is so brief.
on October 31, 2013 at 1:21 pm | Reply Leslie

I think you have to get lucky. Eventually it will happen. I have been watching them for a few years and only once did a heron pull a big fish out of the river and then swallowed it whole. I barely had time to focus and get a decent shot. Usually they are sitting like a statue waiting for food to swim by.
- on October 31, 2013 at 6:55 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I am pretty persistent, so I feel like I will one day manage to get the shot of “the big one.” Meanwhile, I content myself with shots like this and ones like the young heron pulling a leaf out of the water from earlier this fall.
  - on October 31, 2013 at 7:10 pm Leslie
    
    I think odds are better in the spring. I live near a heron rookery along a river and there is always a lot more fishing going on when there are mouths to feed. Fortunately I can get pretty close to the water and the nests.
on October 31, 2013 at 5:12 pm | Reply Amsterdam grey heron video | Dear Kitty. Some blog

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on November 1, 2013 at 12:30 pm | Reply caleephotography

Great captures, Mike! 🙂