Monday, June 24, 2013

Juvenile Green Heron licking his chops...

This juvenile Green Heron was fun to watch. He would move slowly back and forth along a downed branch that hung over the mote at the Ibis Pond rookery on Pinckney Island in Hilton Head, SC looking for small fish. As he watched for his next morsel, he would lick his chops over and over. Those little fish must have tasted good! The video at the end of the post captures the action...

Juvenile Green Heron at the Ibis Pond Rookery on Pinckney Island in Hilton Head, SC
A juvenile Green Heron sees a fish swimming in the green waters below...

Juvenile Green Heron at the Ibis Pond Rookery on Pinckney Island in Hilton Head, SC
Baby plumes blowing in the breeze. Not many left...

Green Herons are stocky little herons. They always seem to have their necks pulled in.


Juvenile Green Heron watches a fish and gets ready to catch it.
...part of the fun of watching this juvenile Green Heron was watching his long toes curl around the branch as he walked slowly back and forth. Every move he made seemed to be deliberate, stealthy, and slow. 


"Bird's eye" view of this juvenile Green Heron as he watches fish swimming below.
...watch out, little fish.


Juvenile Green Heron Licking his Chops and Catching a Fish from Kelly Riccetti on Vimeo.


 I photographed this hungry little fellow last summer on June 12, 2012.

17 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Love the Green Heron, it is my favorite heron. Your photos and video are wonderful.

FAB said...

Smashing pics Kelly and I just loved the video clip. Such careful maneuvering along the branch while concentrating on its prey.

holdingmoments said...

Fantastic pictures Kelly, and that video was excellent. Great post.

TexWisGirl said...

he is really cute. your photos are stellar, and enjoyed his catch in the video, too!

Chris said...

Wow, what a wonderful psot Kelly... I'm terribly jealous of these wonderful shots ;-)

Lois Evensen said...

Fabulous images as yours always are. Love the video!

Anonymous said...

Great detail in the poses! They can sometimes be skittish.

Montanagirl said...

Kelly, these are really nice photos. LOVED the video. Wish we had Green Herons around here.

Unknown said...

Wonderful images Kelly.

Janice K said...

I loved the pictures, Kelly, and the video was really fun to watch. Thanks for sharing.

Elaine said...

I love this guy! Great photos!

Elva Paulson said...

Wonderful photos and video, Kelly! I love how they can wrap their toes around the branch and lean way, way forward. It always amazes me.

Pasadena Adjacent said...

fantastic - guess he/she's a big bird now

Banjo52 said...

Great shots. A couple of years ago at Ding Darling on Sanibel Island, I watched one of these juveniles (I think it was this guy) who'd caught a fish too big for one gulp, and the heron kept playing with it for at least a half-hour. He never did get it all down as I watched--maybe after I left. Can a bird look puzzled and frustrated? I'd swear he did.

Anonymous said...

What fun!

Kelly said...

Thanks, everyone. This guy was fantastic! I watched him for so long. He always caught his fish...

KaHolly said...

Loved the video and all of the pics.