"THE GREAT BLUE HERON - ITS DIRTY LITTLE SECRET"

Great Blue Heron ( 5 Photos)

This set of photos comes with a warning. If one has a fondness for muskrats, look no further.

I had just taken a short break from the sun and was sitting in the shade, when this Great Blue Heron flew in and walked into the marsh grasses, next to the pond. After a few seconds, it walked out and then dived its bill into the grasses behind the water and pulled out, what I thought was a nest, initially.

Having caught the sequence with the camera, I then checked to see what it had grabbed. I have heard of these herons grabbing gophers, but this was the first time for me to see a muskrat. It grabbed it, dunked it a few times into the water (no doubt, to assist in that route down the long neck) and then swallowed it whole.

The photos in Part 1 of this week's Photo of the Week were taken after the muskrat episode.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5