New Bird - WOW!

One afternoon we looked out at the water and saw a different looking bird. It was standing in shallow water and we couldn't tell if it was tall or short.

It appeared to have a short neck.
All of a sudden, this LONG neck shot up!We emailed and sent photos to our friend, Dave Clements, who's an avid bird watcher, and were surprised by his answer.

This is a Great Blue Heron!

Herons snare their aquatic prey by walking slowly, or standing still for long periods of time and waiting for fish to come within range of their long necks and blade-like bills. The deathblow is delivered with a quick thrust of the sharp bill, and the prey is swallowed whole. (That's what he was doing when we first saw him.)

Great blue herons have been known to choke to death by attempting to swallow fish too large for their long, S-shaped necks. Though they are best known as fishers, they also eat mice, insects and other small creatures.

Adults sport a shaggy ruff at the base of their necks.

Great blue herons are 3 to 4 feet tall and their wingspan is 5 to 6.5 feet, which makes them a joy to see in flight. They can cruise at some 20 to 30 miles per hour.

The black plume extending from above and behind the eye to beyond the back of the head is quite dramatic.