I love watching Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) catch fish. Often they will stand still for long periods of time and then strike suddenly and violently. Catching a fish, though, is only half of the battle for the heron. The heron must then maneuver the fish into position so that it can be swallowed head-first.
During a trip last month to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I observed the whole process and was able to capture a series of images, including these three. It looks like the heron speared the fish initially, leaving it either stunned or possibly dead. I admire the boldness and skill of the heron as it flipped the fish into the air, as you can see in the middle photo, as part of the positioning process. Eventually the fish was correctly positioned, as shown in the final photo, and a split second later, the heron tilted back its head and the fish disappeared down its throat.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great captures Mike. Always exciting to see them catch a fisch.
Thanks. A lot of times I get impatient and leave before a heron catches a fish, so it was nice to capture the results of a successful attempt.
Nifty beak work. Efficient, if you consider what it takes for humans to eat a fish. Great photos.
I think we would need much more robust digestive systems to be able to swallow fish whole. I know I am bothered when I somehow miss a little fish bone when preparing to consume a fish.
Yeah, and I’m not interested in the head or the innards. I’ll stick with a knife and fork.
Fun series, Mike! The skill of the wading birds while eating is always impressive, even when they drop their catch!
It makes me appreciate having fingers. 🙂
Gulp! Reminds me of myself with dark chocolate! 🙂
A big solid heron. 😊
Down the hatch! Great shots, Mike!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Fantastic action shots!
Wonderful shots, Mike. The herons are amazing how they reposition the fish to swallow it all.
Thanks, Chris. The herons demonstrate an amazing amount of patience and precision in getting the fish into just the right position–I am always fascinated whenever I watch the process.
Nicely captured, Mike. Looks like a good-sized meal!
Thanks, Eliza. I think that both the heron and I were pretty happy with its meal.
Great gulp.
We’ve got THOSE here! 🙂 Nice feeding shots!