The Plunge[/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/9678931@N07/5812341012/]IMGP7460re[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/9678931@N07/]arvindh76[/url], on Flickr" target="_blank"> The Result[/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/9678931@N07/5811775653/]IMGP7461re[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/9678931@N07/]arvindh76[/url], on Flickr" target="_blank"> [/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/9678931@N07/5812343852/]IMGP7466re[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/9678931@N07/]arvindh76[/url], on Flickr" target="_blank"> Hah, that was satisfying! [/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/9678931@N07/5812342262/]IMGP7575re[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/9678931@N07/]arvindh76[/url], on Flickr" target="_blank">

[Jimbo]

Love Heron shots and it blows me away the size of the size of the fish they can eat. Nicely done. JIM

[BillM]

Always get a kick watching them align fish so it 'goes' down easy
Does have that satisfied,"cant believe I ate the whole thing" look in eye of last shot
Nice series MC.

[mccarvindh]

Thank you Jimbo and Bill! yeah, these birds can swallow huge fish. I admire their patience too as they move about the lake. I was lucky to witness this guy get his/her meal and also chase away a competitor. The last pose here was what s/he struck when s/he (BTW, any birders who can weigh in on the gender?) saw another heron. It was a sight to see the huge bird just leap out of the water and take on the task of guarding it's territory. Edit with pictures of the bird taking off (sorry the pics are not great):[/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/9678931@N07/5812346594/]IMGP7578re[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/9678931@N07/]arvindh76[/url], on Flickr" target="_blank"> [/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/9678931@N07/5812343112/]IMGP7577re[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/9678931@N07/]arvindh76[/url], on Flickr" target="_blank">

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Last edited by mccarvindh; 06-09-2011 at 09:51 AM.

[BillM]

Hi MC,Great Blues seem to start a lot of arguments.They're generally considered
to be [Dimorphic] in apperance in that males are a little larger than females.
Beyond that there are no readily apparent difference.When there are no difference's,
thats refered to as [Monomorphic] and thats where argument is.
That being the case,pretty much need to compare size if a pair of birds are encountered.
Immature birds are somewhat darker.

Personally,going to let folks at cornell get into a 'knock down,drag out"
and settle this thing once and for all times.
Meanwhile,Im going to enjoy your pics
Cheers,
Bill

[mccarvindh]

Thank you Bill very much for that information about the herons! I plan on going to the lake again in (a week or two) to get better pictures of them in flight.