While visiting Middleton Place on my recent Camellia Road Trip, I witnessed a rare nature moment that I’d like to share with you today. Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark situated on the Ashley River in South Carolina. Several of the garden paths follow the river which is alive with wildlife. Most of these birds are cormorants but the one in the bottom left is a Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Herons are a common sight around lakes, rivers and coastlines in this region. Here’s a Great Blue Heron on the Bon Secour River along the Alabama Gulf Coast.
Its signature S-curve neck, “powder down” chest feathers and dagger-like bill contribute to the heron’s striking appearance.
The All About Birds website provides this description: “Whether poised at a river bend or cruising the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight. This stately heron with its subtle blue-gray plumage often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. They may move slowly, but Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher. In flight, look for this widespread heron’s tucked-in neck and long legs trailing out behind.”
As I was walking along the river at Middleton Place, I noticed a lone Great Blue Heron standing on a log. I’ve become accustomed to seeing these beautiful birds but there was something unusual about this one. This Great Blue Heron was holding a fish…
… not just any fish, but a big ol’ catfish.
When I realized just how big that fish was, I had to see what the heron would do with it. Obviously, he intended to eat it. But how? I knew herons swallowed their prey whole. But how could this bird ever swallow a fish that big? So I got as close as I safely could, focused my camera and prepared to watch the show.
In order to swallow the fish, the heron spent some time getting it into the right position.
It started by putting the fish back in the water and maneuvering the fish with its bill.
The heron picked it up with its bill ensuring it was aligned and positioned head first. I cropped this shot a little tighter so it’s easier to see the positioning.
Then with a quick flick of its powerful neck, the heron flung the fish out of the water…
… and down its throat…
… while simultaneously stretching out its neck.
But it didn’t quite go as planned and the heron brought the fish back down.
Then the heron put the fish back in the water and repeated the whole process.
I watched the heron for over an hour and witnessed dozens of attempts to swallow that fish. Things got a little hairy, at one point, when an alligator got into the act. Yikes! The heron is a little difficult to see in this shot, it’s down in the bottom left among the rushes, while the alligator is approaching from the top right. The alligator came to rest at the end of the log and appeared ready to pounce. But as it turned out, the heron just ignored the alligator and eventually it swam away.
Here’s one last action shot of the Great Blue Heron attempting to swallow the catfish.
More Info
For more information about Great Blue Herons, check out the AllAboutBirds website from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or the Audubon Guide to North American Birds website.
You may also like these FanningSparks posts which include some of my favorite bird photos:
. From Feeders to Quilts
. DIY Bluebird-Approved Birdhouse Tutorial
. Top 19 Photos from 2019
Today’s Takeaways
1. Be on the lookout for nature moments.
2. Consider building a buffer into your travel itinerary to allow time for discovery.
3. You can’t hurry Mother Nature—expect to observe nature at its own pace.
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