Tuesday, February 15, 2011

World Bird Wednesday - Green Heron

We made a short stop at the Pine Island Conservation area on North Merritt Island during our trip to Florida. We were not prepared to do any hiking so stayed fairly close to the rental car. Karl heard a rustle in the bushes along the small canal where we were parked. Finally we spotted this guy down on a branch overhanging the water. I had to do more research at home to identify this one.

A cool fact (courtesy of allaboutbirds.org) - The Green Heron is one of the few tool-using birds. It commonly drops bait onto the surface of the water and grabs the small fish that are attracted. It uses a variety of baits and lures, including crusts of bread, insects, earthworms, twigs, or feathers. Clever!

 Green Heron


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25 comments:

Small City Scenes said...

Excellent shot, Sally. MB

lizziviggi said...

Wow, he's a cool-looking little guy! I wouldn't have known who this was either. Sounds like he's not only pretty, but clever too!

Sylvia K said...

What a terrific shot, Sally! And a smart little guy he is, too! Great one for the day! And speaking of days -- hope you have a great one, too!

Sylvia

Unknown said...

Great shot! Fascinating bird, interesting text

Unknown said...

Is everybody in Florida? Great shot. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

mick said...

Great photo of the Heron. Very interesting that it uses things to catch fish.

Modesto said...

Good shot!

theconstantwalker said...

A lovely capture of a beautiful Heron Sally. I have never seen one although they are seen in the UK.

FAB said...

Florida is obviously the place to be. Super image Sally.

Martha Z said...

Great image. We have have had green herons nesting in our area but I have found them difficult to photograph though I did manage to get shots of a couple of fledglings once.

Hilke Breder said...

Nice image of a Green Heron, Sally! I didn't know about them using bait to catch prey. Fascinating.

Pat Tillett said...

A great photo and story! Very interesting!

Sondra said...

Great shot! I didnt know that about the luring behavior--great to know that!

Anonymous said...

I have only seen this beautiful bird a few times, and each time it was as if I had found some exquisite treasure.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I was here a couple of minutes ago and was reminded that I had forgotten to link my WBW post! Thanks, sure glad I dropped by.

I'm also glad I am here to see the beautiful green heron -- it's a lovely picture. We first saw and learned about these birds in Louisiana and I haven't really spotted any here in FL. Wonderful picture.

Buck said...

I did not know that about green herons. I've seen herons up here, but never noticed them using bait. I'll keep my eyes open! Of course, it'll be a while...

jo©o said...

How fascinating: an angler bird :-)
Such nice colours too.

jeanlivingsimple said...

Love the capture and information!

Pat said...

Interesting info about the Green Heron. Great capture!

We love LUNA said...

Wow Sally, this friend from Florida is magnificent, he has such a lovely colour!
purrs
Luna

joo said...

Terrific! Haven't seen them here.

EG CameraGirl said...

This is such a clear photo!

Springman said...

The herons in Florida are something else. Your research into their fishing techniques is illuminating. Good story and a great catch!
;-)WBW

Mike B. said...

Gorgeous bird. I haven't seen one yet- need to keep looking!

Larry said...

Beautiful shot of the Green Heron Sally! They are usually pretty skittish. There is a great you tube video showing the fishing behavior here.