Ever have one of those moments when you just stop in your tracks, look around and say to yourself, “I’m back where I belong“?
It has been a long road for me, well, technically lack of road and lack of trail for way too long. This is officially the longest period of time out due to an injury and trust me, there’s been plenty of injuries over the years. I have to move…a lot… or the crazy suppression system goes on overload and begins to smoke. This week has been a big turning point for me as we are back out in the field. The goal, to get my annual bird count to the 400 tier – a personal record. On our way south, we made a stop at one of my favorite locations – Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Alabama. If you are a mountain biker, trail runner, birder or just a nature fan, this is the place to be. I’ve ran more miles than I can count on the Black Creek Trails and still have many left to explore. This time my mode was walking, yet the smile was wider than ever. Halfway through the Family Loop trail I stopped among the golden colored trees, took a deep breath, looked around and took all the beauty in. Life is certainly better. Still need time to get back to running mode, but I continued my walk with those same words I start every ultra “Just put one foot in front of the other and repeat“.
I wonder if this Great Blue Heron has a similar mantra “Just put one fin in and repeat“
Hit the jump for an explanation.
A couple of posts ago I covered another Great Blue specimen that was struggling to down a prized catch. I felt bad about leaving you hanging on that series as the Heron ended up leaving the table before finishing the show. We are back today to remedy that infraction!
That last series was taken on our 2024 trip to the Texas City Dike. I probably should have led with this particular series as it was encountered several months before that during our first visit to Sweetwater Wetlands Park in Gainesville, Florida. I just thought it would be ironic to switch them as we are currently in … Gainesville and yesterday we spent the day at…you know what’s coming..Sweetwater Wetlands Park.
I have to say, this place is STILL absolutely amazing. I could easily spend multiple days here scanning the waters (and the skies) for all the gems that Florida has to offer the birding community. It didn’t take me long to decide on this location to help get me to 400 – many targets and many of them relatively easy to locate. Also, a great place to see Alligators, but I’ll hold off on that topic for an upcoming post. Time to get back to this hungry GBH.
In the previous post, I mentioned that my fish knowledge is pretty poor. If it didn’t take the worm on my childhood fishing pole, it is likely only referred to today as a “fishy fishy”. If you know what this victim happens to be, please let me know in the comments so I can further my underwater knowledge.
I came upon this Heron right after it had stabbed and extracted this prize from its hunting position on the bank. It was a bit shocking as typically these Heron strikes result in a small fish or frog that is easily tossed and swallowed. Quickly decided that this was going to be entertaining…for me …not so much the fishy.
The GBH looked pretty proud of its catch, looking left and right showing off its skills like Ferris Bueller catching the foul ball. “Hey Bri, can you see the size of this thing, pretty impressive eh?” Then I started looking to my left and right to make sure nobody saw me talking to a bird ha.
Admittedly, I cut out several attempts by the Heron to down this fish. Once it had extracted it from that dual dagger bill, the Great Blue would toss it several times into the air to get it positioned head first into the bill. There was still a bit of fight left in the fish allowing it to disrupt those attempts – much to the annoyance of the Heron. Eventually it fell into the right position with the fins pointed away from the throat. Reminds me of my early days fishing with my father who taught me the proper way to slide the hand from the head to the tail of a Crappie, Sunfish or Bluegill so I could remove the hook safely.
At that point it was simply a matter of getting it to slide down the pipe. Guessing Herons would be banned from Golden Corral or other local buffets if they saw how wide that neck can stretch – glug, glug, glug….
Almost got the job done…just “One more wafer thin mint (fin)“.
…and then the bill closed. I’ve seen the aftermath of a Snake feeding and this reminded me of how you can see the shape of the victim as it progresses through the rest of the digestive system. It was time to see what else Sweetwater had to offer. “Thank you for the show Mr. Heron, enjoy the rest of the day and be careful as you are vulnerable to other predators while trying to complete the digestion process“.
Stranger: “Were you just talking to that bird?”
Me: “Who me, absolutely not, people unable to run do crazy things like that“
Take care everyone, I’ll be back soon to update you on how the quest to 400 is going.
Wildlife Intrigued 
Beautiful bird, but I got indigestion just watching his table manners.
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hahahaha, I can definitely see this series having that effect! I was waiting for this Heron to let out a giant burp..or whip out a bottle of Tums from under its feathers to finish off the show. Take care and have a great rest of your week.
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LOL. Tums would be perfect.
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Fascinating, how the heron manages its catch. But seeing this, I feel glad to have hands to use.
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Definitely, so much easier when you can simply pick up a fork and take proper bite sizes ha! Of course, many of us are still tricked by their eyes at the buffet line. Thanks so much for coming by Puzzleblume, take care and have a great rest of your week.
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Oh my that was quite a large meal😳 I am glad the heron was able to swallow down his big catch.
Hope you and your dear ones have a good holiday.
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I was worried up to the last point as to whether it was going to get it down, but sure enough, it got the job done…assuredly much to the disappointment of the fish ha. Thanks for the holiday wishes – so far our trip is going very well, getting almost all the birds we are on the hunt for and although getting a bit tender from all the walking, the ankle is behaving and best of all the weather is far better than back home – 80s and sunny here..expecting snow at home…hmmmm, maybe we should stay a little longer hehehe. As always, thanks from dropping in and say hi to the family for us!
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😆, caught this nicely. I always have to stop and watch this. Sometimes it takes a while but worth the wait.
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This definitely went on longer than it was sequenced in this series but like a bad wreck, I just sat there taking it all in. It did occur to me AFTER the tail went down I could have simply flipped the video button on the camera and captured every second of the feeding – guess I’m just a “still” life kind of guy ha. Take care and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Back at ya….
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You are right, having the opportunity to watch the whole swallowing process (or maybe the “swallowing whole process”) is really wonderful. Great shots, thanks for sharing them!
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Down the hatch! Great photos of the GBH. Nice to read you are getting back to normal. Have a wonderful time roaming around. Get lots of bird photos along the way.
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Thanks Tim – fortunately, GBH feeding is less bloody compared to the mammal kills I come upon – those can get me a bit squeamish. So far, the trip has been going great and the tin is filling up with plenty of shots to share on upcoming posts. The ankle has been holding even though it is somewhat being baptized in fire with all the walking in the uneven and deep beach sand. One thing is very clear, I am not ready to start running yet, yesterday’s 4 miles really wore me out. Best part of all this is the weather – 80’s and sunny here, but home is expecting heavy snow by the end of the week. Take care, have yourself a great Turkey Day.
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It’s amazing how quickly one loses fitness.
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Sensational photos of the heron downing its fish! Never seen it happen until now. Glad you’re up and about, and capturing the amazing. Yeah, I’m thinking YOU’RE back! Happy Thanksgiving!
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Thank you, glad we could bring you a new experience! Wildlife can get a little squeamish at times, but so fascinating to see the different behaviors from our feathered friends. I must say, it feels great to be back in the field, really missed it after all those months of recovery. Take care and have a great rest of your week.
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Nice set of pics. I always enjoy watching nature in action. Although it may not always be a pretty sight depending on the species and its involvement. Prey or Predator.
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Thank you Jerry! You definitely have to be prepared for a squeamish sight or two while out in the field, but as long as you remember the golden rule to not take sides, being able to experience the various behaviors is incredibly rewarding (educationally and entertaining). It does make me feel a lot better knowing my eyes are in “front” of my head ha. Take care and have a great Thanksgiving holiday.
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