"HECK, I CAN'T EVEN MANAGE CHOPSTICKS!"

Great Blue Heron - 9 Photos

Photo #1 documents one of the "antics" of the Great Blue Heron I've named "Goofy". It is usually seen with another Great Blue Heron in a location nearby and sometimes they fly in together so I'm not sure if it's a partner or a youngster. 

I have noticed on several occasions that this particular heron would look upward and quickly snap open & close its bill, while fishing and at first I thought it might be clearing something from its mouth, like a small piece of food. While it was fishing this time, I took a shot as it was standing on a beaver lodge and it happened to be at exactly the same time this snapping motion occurred.

It wasn't until I got home and downloaded the photos from the camera, that I realized that "Goofy" had successfully caught a large blue dragonfly, which he/she quickly ate. Nothing like a little appetizer before the main course. Photo #2 is an enlargement of Photo #1 with a text marker showing the dragonfly's location.

I don't know if all Great Blue Herons try to grab large insects from the air but talk about dexterity. I can't even manage a pair of chopsticks! :) For me, this is one for the books.

The remaining photos (Photo #3 through Photo #9) are of a more stately "Goofy", with its magnificence feathers and tall elegant heron status.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7

PHOTO #8

PHOTO #9