Many bird species stick very close to their preferred habitat. In fact, certain species can ONLY be seen in very specific habitat. And herons are known for standing like a statue in shallow water, waiting for a tadpole, fish, or other aquatic meal to swim by, at which time their lightning-fast reflexes snatch it out of the water.
This heron was exhibiting some of the same stalking behavior in this field. And after a few minutes, it snapped at some sort of rodent on the ground. For some reason the Saturday Night Live skit involving the 'Land Shark' came to mind. :)
Apparently land feeding by Great Blue Heron is not totally uncommon. Places with lots of rodents and few predators provide a good option for an opportunistic heron. For what its worth, this heron was stalking the grounds of McClellan Ranch Park in Cupertino, CA.
This is an informative article about the Great Blue Heron. With regard to the feeding concepts discussed in the article, I would like to say that a bird feeder is an efficient device that one can use in order to attract birds such as the Great Blue Heron to eat, and it also comes with numerous benefits that may improve one's bird feeding experience. I have a list of bird feeders in my website (http://www.yourbirdoasis.com/), and feel free to check it out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I'd have to say that it would be quite rare for a Heron to come to a feeder! They prefer live food - minnows, fish, and as I discovered above, rodents.
ReplyDeleteHey,
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