Green Heron

A Green Heron showed up the other day, giving me an excellent opportunity to view a bird that seems to rarely come out into the open.  It visits the pond regularly, but always seems to keep a tree branch between the two of us.

I had just finished lunch when I noticed this individual snagging treefrog tadpoles from the Water Garden.  By the time I got back with the camera, the heron had eaten its fill.  It stayed put for another 30 seconds before flying back to the pond.

Using that long, sharp bill, the Green Heron pulls tadpoles from the water as easily as I take cashews from a bowl of mixed nuts.

The heron’s eyes are positioned so it gets both an area of binocular view in front that provides the keen depth perception required of a predator and a panoramic field of vision that allows it to detect approaching danger.  The bird has a clear view around as well as below its bill.

Before departing, the heron did strike a few poses.

It stayed around just long enough for me to satisfy my long standing desire to photograph this beautiful species.  Now I can stop skulking through the bushes around the pond trying to get a Green Heron in front of the camera lens.