Beaks & Bills - Part 2

As I said in yesterday's post, some bird beaks are shaped to tear, such as this one (below).  This bald eagle was injured and is now a resident at a local zoo.  That is the only reason I was able to get such a clear shot of its beak with my camera.  You can see the sharp, pointed hook on the curved tip of the upper beak - the perfect tool to help birds of prey open their meals.  You also get a sense of how powerful this bird's beak really is when you look at it up close like this.

On the other hand, some birds have long, spear-like beaks, such as this great blue heron (below).  Heron's need such long, sharp bills for their water fishing.  They can actually spear their prey (usually fish) with their powerful, tapered beaks.

Their beak fits their carnivorous dietary requirements and their watery habitats.  That is why a much smaller, cone-shaped bill, such of that of the seed-eating grosbeak, wouldn't work on the heron.  Seeds are not generally what they are after. although they do consume them at times.

Now We Know

It's funny how we see things and take them in unconsciously, but never really think about them on purpose.

For years I've seen large white splats on the ground while hiking shorelines.  ("Splat" - yes, that's a scientific word.)

Never gave them much thought.

Then one day while walking with Hyperion, he casually observed, "That's heron scat."

Oh!  So that's what that is!  Suddenly, I was seeing it everywhere.

Now I know, and so do you.  Next time we see such a deposit, we'll know that a heron recently shared the same bit of shoreline.

Prize Fight

If a Great Blue Heron took on a Great Egret in a prize fight, who do you think would win?  I'd put my money on the heron.  They are bigger, extremely territorial, and have a reputation for being more aggressive.  Here are the stats.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
36 - 54 inches - head to tail length
66-79 inches - wingspan
45-54 inches - height
4.6 - 7.9 pounds

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret (Ardea alba)
31-41 inches - head to tail length
52-67 inches - wingspan
36 - 40 inches - height
1.5 - 3.3 pounds

Great Egret

Egrets are no slackers, however, and can be very territorial themselves.  I wouldn't want to mess with one of them in a narrow alley at night!

When a friend and I were walking at Sylvan Island the other day, the quiet morning was suddenly ripped to shreds by a  very loud, cranky call from the water.  Heron, right?  But it was very loud - the loudest heron either of us had ever heard.  Denise said it sounded angry to her and I agreed.  Very angry.  We knew something was going on, so we  hurried to an open point on the trail to see what was up.

A Great Blue Heron was screaming bloody murder at a Great Egret and began pursuing him through the air, intent on inflicting bodily harm.  The sound level and speed were charged with some major energy.  It left us standing there saying, "Wow!"  Too bad I don't have an audio clip or video of it to show you, instead of just this still shot, but trust me, that heron was one angry bird!

Angry Great Blue Heron chasing Great Egret

I researched these two birds after I got home, and found that we were far from the first to witness such an interaction between these two greats.  This particular battle, taking place in the fall, was probably a dispute over feeding territory.  The standings?  Heron 1; Egret  0.

Great Neck!

The great blue heron stands about four feet tall, give or take a little.  This one, at the local marina, appears to be not yet fully mature, as he seems to be missing the white on his crown.  At any rate, he was standing tall and proud on the dock, pretty much master of all he surveyed.

A couple of moments later, he had retracted his long, powerful neck into an "s" shape, and looked like a totally different bird. 

I assure you that this is the same bird in both photographs - just in different poses.

This second pose is the heron's hunter pose, and the neck is ready for springing action.  

Herons hunt and eat fish, snakes, frogs, small birds, and insects.  They also hunt rodents such as gophers and rats in fields.  They are premier hunters, combining indomitable patience with precision striking ability.

I Gotta Green!

It's blurry, but I was thrilled with this photo!  Know why?  Because contained within its distant, fuzzy pixels is my first green heron!

It flew across the lake and landed on a log.  That movement is the only reason I saw it.  I had my camera up in a flash but was awfully far away from it.

As usual, it was only when I got home that I realized there was more in the frame than I thought.  Do you see it?  There's a second heron in the background.

Here's a close up.

Green herons are most active at dusk and dawn, but if hungry they hunt during the day.  They stand perfectly still, waiting for a hapless fish to come by.  Sometimes they drop insects or feathers to attract the attention of fish and draw them in.  How's that for cool?  This makes them tool users, which is very rare in the animal world.

My photo caught the herons with their reddish-brown necks extended, but they often sit with their necks drawn in, creating a very different profile.

For some awesome photos of green herons, check out 10,000birds.com and look at their post "Green Herons and their Groovy Necks" at  http://10000birds.com/green-herons-and-their-groovy-necks.htm  .  They have some fantastic before and after pictures of herons with their necks extended and retracted.