May 14, 2015, found me at the Ridgefield NWR watching this Great Blue Heron hunting in about 6 inches of water. He was actually standing erect and not in typical hunting position when he suddenly half-jumped and half-flew about 5 feet to my right, plunging his powerful bill into the water. He quickly came up with a nice sized frog for lunch. While viewing him through the viewfinder prior to the strike, I had initially thought I had flushed him. But he knew exactly what he was doing and he did it at lightning speed – from 5 feet away. The frog didn’t know what hit him.
Canon 7D Mark II, 1/1600, f4, ISO 400, 500mm, 12:23 p.m.
Incredible image.. fantastic eye contact between the two and all sharp. Wow!
Thank you, Sammy, for the nice comment! So glad you like it!
Great shot Dennis, but I have to say that I feel sorry for the frog, poor thing.
Thanks, Tony! I, too, feel sorry for the frog. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a heron jump so far to capture prey. Amazing eye sight and speed.