It's a tough life for a Heron
Introduction
The photograph on this page of It's a tough life for a Heron by Des Colhoun as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
It's a tough life for a Heron
Image: © Des Colhoun Taken: 6 Dec 2016
Flatfish and sticklebacks are his main quarry here in the canal. Normally a shy bird he becomes emboldened in suburban surroundings often visiting your ornamental pond when you're asleep.This bird will eat frogs, toads. rats, mice, voles, and fish. With the ability to stand still for long periods of time he is a very successful predator. He sometimes cups his wings as a sunshade and lures the unsuspecting fish to his downward, deadly gaze on a hot summers day. His accuracy in the strike is phenomenal and I personally know two individuals who have been blinded in an eye during an ill advised foray to a heron's nest.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
57.716152
Longitude
-3.282889