Butterflies & Dirt: The Heron, Ducks, and Prints

Below are pictures of the Great Blue Heron from one of today's adventures. My husband and I refer to him as "the" blue heron as we have a blue heron that visits our pond each spring and summer. We're not sure if it is the same bird who visits each year, but it is likely. Treating him as a frequent visitor, we have given him a title and a designated sex. However, we can't determine the latter detail either. I suppose we could try, but I'm not going there!

We also had names for some of our resident ducks who stay at the pond year round. This includes Fat White Duck for the largest Pekin Duck and Mallard Body Guard for the mallard who seemed to protect the Fat White Duck. As these two ducks have either relocated or passed away, we now refer to all of the Pekin Ducks as Fat White Ducks. A new mallard has joined the remaining three Pekins. He is the new Mallard Body Guard.

Yes, we are people without pets who enjoy naming the wildlife. Call us crazy, but we'll just call it fun!

Enough silliness! I want to talk a little about the Great Blue Heron. I have only seen Great Blue Herons catch and eat fish. However, I recently discovered that they also eat frogs, crayfish, and snakes! Other foods include insects, mice, and other small animals due to the shape of their bill. Look how long and spear like the bill is in the pictures below. It allows them to capture a variety of prey. It gives the heron maneuverability and powerful piercing. Their jaws are strong too, allowing them to stun or kill prey before swallowing. It is fun to watch them eat too. Once the bird catches its prey it gulps it down. It's interesting to watch the throat expand as the food slides down to be digested.

The Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron circling the pond for food.

Ready to strike for lunch?

The Great Blue Heron can spread its wings to seven feet long! They can fly between 20 to 30 miles per hour.

This is where the Great Blue Heron flew to after I took too many pictures. I tried to follow him unnoticed, but decided to leave him here so he could focus on his lunch.