Heron and snake

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

Heron and snake

October 7, 2015 by Mike Powell

A snake struggled mightily when snagged by a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). The heron looked a little confused by the actions of its prey and seemed to be having trouble figuring out how to grip the snake. I was a bit far away when I took these shots so I couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked to me that the heron eventually dropped the snake and the snake escaped into the thick vegetation.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Reptiles, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea herodias, Canon 50D, Great Blue Heron, Huntley Meadows Park, snake, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on October 7, 2015 at 7:19 am | Reply mvschulze

Nice catch. M 🙂
on October 7, 2015 at 7:59 am | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Great action shots and you handled the lighting perfectly to get detail into both the heron and the snake.
on October 7, 2015 at 8:22 am | Reply Sarah Longes - Mirador Design

Good grief! Great captures Mike! Never seen that before 🙂
on October 7, 2015 at 8:53 am | Reply Lyle Krahn

That twisted neck of the heron on the first one is priceless like he’s trying to unwind the snake. It’s so great you can get closer to these beautiful birds – around here I can’t get within 200 yards.
on October 7, 2015 at 11:43 am | Reply Heron and snake | Gaia Gazette

[…] Source: Heron and snake […]
on October 8, 2015 at 4:54 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Interesting. I’ve heard that great blue herons will eat just about anything and I guess it must be true. I never knew that they could twist their head upside down like it did in that first shot.
- on October 8, 2015 at 5:23 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I was a bit shocked when I saw the twisted neck too. I was a pretty good distance away and couldn’t really see what the heron was doing, but when I saw it make a strike, I shot away and captured these interesting shots. They are not the sharpest images I have ever taken, but they do capture an unusual moment.
on October 8, 2015 at 9:08 am | Reply Sammy D.

Wow! Amazing images. The heron’s color is so vibrant. This seies should be framed for exhibit!!
on October 8, 2015 at 10:20 pm | Reply Inger

That is an awesome catch! I saw recently saw this bird for the first time when visiting Yellowstone.
- on October 9, 2015 at 5:55 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I am pretty lucky that I am able to see Great Blue Herons pretty regularly, even during most of the winter.
on October 11, 2015 at 1:17 pm | Reply absengeralois

SUPER!