Lately, I’ve had occasion to revisit some of my photos from last year. As a result, I was reminded of some interesting behavior I witnessed involving a great blue heron. It happened near the mouth of the Columbia River in a little town called Chinook, Washington, located just across the river from Astoria, Oregon. It was early May and the birds were very active, as is usual for that time of year. I went down to the salt marsh/mud flats near the small harbor in town to see what I could see. I saw numerous bald eagles, but the most interesting thing I saw that day was the behavior of one particular great blue heron.
The first thing that caught my attention that morning was a river otter swimming near the beach. A few minutes later, the hungry heron flew over to where the otter was fishing to see if it could join in the feeding. The otter did its best to ignore the heron and eventually swam farther out into deeper water and away from the intruder.
Having failed to secure an invitation to share in the otter’s bounty, the heron went back to the beach, still hungry.
Before long, my heron friend had spotted something that looked promising and tasty. It went into stealth mode, keeping a low profile and walking slowly toward its quarry, hoping it would not be noticed. This time, it was heading in the direction of land, not water. What, you may be wondering, did this heron think would make a good meal?
Yes, it’s true. The very hungry heron was indeed stalking these downy little goslings. Since there were more than twenty of them and only two adults, maybe the heron figured just one wouldn’t be missed by the parents.
If you’ve ever had the experience of being around Canada Geese, especially when they have babies near, you know they can be pretty aggressive. As soon as the geese realized what the heron was up to, they sprang into action to defend their brood. The poor heron got a literal “butt chewing” from one of them.
And so the drama ended, with the goose family still intact, and the heron still hungry.
As a wildlife photographer, I spend many hours watching animals and birds. Sometimes, these observations yield unique, interesting or funny stories. Please let me know if you enjoyed the story of the very hungry heron and would like to see more posts like this in the future.
Hi Loree, wonderful story and great photography! I remember learning the Great Blue Heron was actually a predator. I was really surprised to see it eating gophers and ground squirrels. I was so surprised by the whole thing. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful pictures and stories with us. I love them all. Brian White
Thanks Brian. I was shocked to see the heron eyeing the goslings. For one thing, I never considered it would be interested in them as food. And I guess I also assumed it would know better than to mess with geese!
LOts Of Great Photos And A Very Interesting story!!!
Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it!
Still enjoy your photos even though we do not communicate any more. Keep up the good work
Thank you.
Really enjoyed your story and the photos….. I love herons…love to watch them, too… I had the thought that this is a young heron (by the all blue/gray feathers on his/her head)…..fledge from this year’s nest……and has lots to learn…. but the patience and fortitude to make it…. let’s hope so….. wishing the heron and the photographer well!. Hope to see more!…..
It could very well be a young heron. I was only at the location for a few days, so didn’t have the opportunity to “get to know” him or her. Thanks so much for stopping by and, if you haven’t already, please subscribe to receive an email notification when I make a new post. Thanks again!