Heron & Mergansers

Guy Miner · Sep 11, 2020

Columbia River, East Wenatchee, Washington, yesterday morning while walking the dog:

jjs405 · Sep 11, 2020

Excellent Photo !!!

Thank you for sharing them.

DrMike · Sep 11, 2020

They are stately birds as they stand waiting for their prey to dart past them. The strike of the bill is so fast as to be almost unbelievable. I saw them quite often along the Brunette River as I fished that stream in the Lower Mainland. Lovely photo, Guy. It captures the tranquility and anticipation of the scene.

Guy Miner · Sep 12, 2020

Thank you.

The more I watch for the heron, the more of them I see, and I am learning more about that impressive bird. It's really something!

Friend of mine related a story of a local hawk and a heron which clashed about who's hunting territory it was. The heron apparently killed the hawk with one swift jab of that beak, right through the hawk's torso!

:shock:

He showed me photos he'd taken of their squabbles, and the dead hawk afterwards. I was impressed.

Guy

gerry · Sep 12, 2020

We see them here particularly in spring and fall, I'm guessing they migrate through here. Pretty impressive bird, they have a loud and raspy call too that can startle the unsuspecting person when you jump them at night with grizzlies all around