During this virus pandemic situation I've rarely been going to town, usually just once a week, so Friday I was out and stopped by my favorite local park pond to check on the resident heron.

MarshallSmith-StoryTwo-AdvColor-A by Marshall Smith, on Flickr

He was doing his usual patrol around the bank, wading in the shallow water. Nothing much was happening...and then it was! Out of nowhere he turned and nailed this big one right at his feet.

MarshallSmith-StoryTwo-AdvColor-B by Marshall Smith, on Flickr

As is their normal custom, he took his fish up the bank , dropped it on the ground, and delivered several kill strikes. Then he took it back into the water to wash it off and wet it down prior to swallowing it.

It was quite an arduous job, and several times I thought he couldn't do it and would have to give up. I've heard tales of herons choking themselves to death on too big a fish.

But he persisted and got it down. Took about five minutes from the first strike to the final gulp, but he got it done!

MarshallSmith-StoryTwo-AdvColor-C by Marshall Smith, on Flickr

After all that he made his way to a secluded area of cattails to sit and digest it.

I left and went into town on my errands. Returning later that afternoon he was perched in a walnut tree at the far end of the pond, surveying his domain.

GBHE_WalnutTree30Oct2020 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr



Marshall