One of the most amazing things I've seen and the photos were out of this world. I normally go there every year but I would have never thought carp that size would swim in those shallow waters. I really enjoyed this, thanks!
Really cool how the heron uses gravity to get the fish the rest of the way down by extending his neck vertically as the tail clears his mouth. We have lots of Great Blue herons around where I live, and I always love seeing them.
Some of the comments to this sequence of photographs made reference to the type of so-called dump this heron would produce after eating this fish. Over the Christmas holiday, I had the good fortune to have a 6-day stay on the waterfront on an island in British Columbia. A Great Blue Heron sat for endless hours either on the water's edge, on a rock or on the quiet dock. I watched the Great Blue. Sometimes I observed it catching fish. Once, I observed a seal doing something like taunting that same Great Blue. Once, while the heron was perched on the railing of the dock, I observed the bird stretch onto its legs. The bird grew tall. Its feathers ruffled and the bird seemed to puff itself up, in the way a cat puffs up to look bigger. Then, with a forceful movement, a long stream of excrement shot out of the body and straight down into the water. It was an enormous amount that gushed out of the bird. Then, as if to declare it was fully relieved, the feathers fanned inward and the legs folded. The Great Blue Heron seemed content to resume sitting on the dock.
+stonecabinphotos Amazing capture of an extraordinary behavior many of us never see! There are times when stills make the better film, and this certainly was one of them. I spent several years photographing in a coastal estuary where great white, blue herons, little egrets and many other fed. To my surprise, i twice saw and captured stills of a great white catching and swallowing small flounder - but it was far too huge, and thought it would kill him when the neck stayed crooked for a long while after. The great engaged in a behavior i also had never seen, where with the fish held in his beak, he slapped it on the water several times over a several minute period before swallowing it. I assumed it was meant to either kill or stun the fish for docility before swallowing. Any other bird enthusiasts seen this behavior? Did the Blue Heron engage in it? Great content!
What an amazing bird! Thank you for sharing these interesting photos! We don't have great blue herons in Russia, unfortunatelly. We have here grey herons, they are very similar to the great blue herons, but smaller. :) They are good fishers too. :)
It will be back tomorrow.... maybe remaining on the shore hunting for rodents...it's a bird....high energy use gaining flight regardless of size relevant to number of beats of wings per minute....once aloft it can glide but it flys closer to the ground much more than other birds it's size....they are patient hunters stalking it's meals for quite awhile.... but it's doubtful that it will continue that day after that size of meal..
you are correct--this is a staged photo session by a pro photographer using a fresh dead fish. the heron ate the fish--but did not kill it at all--thus no video.
@@jaysilverheals4445 Had a feeling that was the case. I have video of mine eating a 1 pound Mayan Cichlid and due to its shape it took its time making sure It was dead before it even tried to eat it.
The Bosque Del Apache is one of my favorite birding locations and cool for other wildlife as well. Winter is a superb time to visit with thousands of Sandhill cranes and snow geese and ross geese. It's quite a spectacle in winter.
what fascinates me most in those cases is how the anatomy of the bird fits the huge prey´s body. Have you checked out the disgestion system of a heron? The stomach isnt that big and the fish has almost the size of the Herons entire bodylength (without fethers)....I mean, how can he handle that?
This reminds me of the guy last summer of the guy at our local China Buffet. He had 8 platefuls of food just while we were there. No idea what he had before we got there.
Great photography. Thanks for sharing. Lots of time shore fishing on the west central coast of Florida has exposed this fisherman to many such events. They easily consume huge lady fish.
You know why you have so many downvotes, right? TH-cam is a video channel, not a still photography channel, and people visit to see video of the amazing event, not stills, no matter how good they may be.
you have your opinion and are welcome to it , believe me if I had been in a position to shoot video I would have , regardless those that enjoy nature will watch the video slideshow and appreciate it as it is
@@freedoggg Oh, well what is your opinion about why it has so many downvotes compared to other videos with the same type of content? You could even add “still photos” or “no video” to the title, and perhaps that would reduce the number of those opinions.
@@freedoggg So you’re saying you’re good at clickbait with your title and your thumbnail? 😁 The usual metric is thumbs-up versus thumbs-down, not thumbs-down vs. views, especially if they didn’t hang around to the end.
There must be a physical limit to the size of prey a heron can fit down its gullet/gizzard. This must be so close to that limit. I'm amazed it could breathe. Its eyes must be bigger than its tummy! :-))
THAT WAS A DEAD FISH PUT OUT FOR THE PHOTO SESSION. Herons spear the capture many times over many minutes--and each stick is astonishingly well placed through the heart no matter what angle it goes in from whatever position. its gory and bloody and takes along time. just be aware this is a staged photo shoot with an absolutely perfect pristine fish by a pro photographer that hows how to do setups like this--the fish was not a wild caught speared fish at all.
What you described of a heron killing a large fish before trying to swallow is exactly what happen here. It would be impossible for a heron to swallow a fish this large if it hadn't already killed if first . Your accusation that this was staged is ridiculous, the fish was in water and your suggestion it would have been bloody has no merit
Not just swallowing it, but what an insane stomach they must have! To digest that bones and all! I can’t conceive of swallowing a whole ham and surviving.
Two eagles sitting in a tree watching the heron fish. Young eagle says to older eagle "I'm gonna go down and kill and eat that skinny ol' heron." Older eagle says "Just wait a few minutes." Impatient young eagle waits. Heron kills and eats huuuge fish. Older eagle says to young eagle "Now go eat the heron."
Yeah, in another video a Great Blue Heron ate a gopher and a few minutes later regurgitated it. This heron I believe will have a heck of a problem with those dorsal fins after eating that fish head first, which is its usual way of eating. Nature has already worked that problem out, still... 😬
Video (noun) 1. the recording, reproducing, or broadcasting of moving visual images. 2. a recording of moving visual images made digitally or on videotape.
That was unreal ! I'll bet the heron is thinking 2 things. 1) "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" and 2) I'll never do that (big of a fish) again .
How comes they don't seem to bulge in their crop or even the neck they swallow? No body part seem to change significantly in size as they swallow a fish that is at least twice the diameter of their throats. Seems to me like magic birds. They can swallow your baby and you wont be any wiser.
One of the most amazing things I've seen and the photos were out of this world. I normally go there every year but I would have never thought carp that size would swim in those shallow waters. I really enjoyed this, thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! Many complain there is no video
Normally pics never compensate an amazing event in wild, But this is really good photo shoot worth more than a video
If it were not for these photos I never would have believed it. Amazing! Nice catch...to the photographer and the heron.
Can’t wait until we invent video cameras
Really cool how the heron uses gravity to get the fish the rest of the way down by extending his neck vertically as the tail clears his mouth.
We have lots of Great Blue herons around where I live, and I always love seeing them.
Some of the comments to this sequence of photographs made reference to the type of so-called dump this heron would produce after eating this fish. Over the Christmas holiday, I had the good fortune to have a 6-day stay on the waterfront on an island in British Columbia. A Great Blue Heron sat for endless hours either on the water's edge, on a rock or on the quiet dock. I watched the Great Blue. Sometimes I observed it catching fish. Once, I observed a seal doing something like taunting that same Great Blue. Once, while the heron was perched on the railing of the dock, I observed the bird stretch onto its legs. The bird grew tall. Its feathers ruffled and the bird seemed to puff itself up, in the way a cat puffs up to look bigger. Then, with a forceful movement, a long stream of excrement shot out of the body and straight down into the water. It was an enormous amount that gushed out of the bird. Then, as if to declare it was fully relieved, the feathers fanned inward and the legs folded. The Great Blue Heron seemed content to resume sitting on the dock.
Heron is like, I need to lay down now.
Blue heron: it took a long time to eat that fish but it was worth it.
If any one is wondering. This place is in New Mexico. south of ALBUQUERQUE.
+stonecabinphotos Amazing capture of an extraordinary behavior many of us never see! There are times when stills make the better film, and this certainly was one of them. I spent several years photographing in a coastal estuary where great white, blue herons, little egrets and many other fed. To my surprise, i twice saw and captured stills of a great white catching and swallowing small flounder - but it was far too huge, and thought it would kill him when the neck stayed crooked for a long while after. The great engaged in a behavior i also had never seen, where with the fish held in his beak, he slapped it on the water several times over a several minute period before swallowing it. I assumed it was meant to either kill or stun the fish for docility before swallowing. Any other bird enthusiasts seen this behavior? Did the Blue Heron engage in it? Great content!
that is amazing! i've never seen one do anything like that before and i love watching and photographing them...amazing - great shooting!
Thank you!!
Amazing photos. Bosque del Apache is one of my favorite places here in New Mexico.
And that is why dinosaurs are still with us
Great photos and awesome music selection
What an amazing bird! Thank you for sharing these interesting photos! We don't have great blue herons in Russia, unfortunatelly. We have here grey herons, they are very similar to the great blue herons, but smaller. :) They are good fishers too. :)
If I could swallow a fish like that, I would be called great as well.
I know a great woman.
Your comment is great indeed😁
Made itself aerodynamic!
Too bad there aren't enough heron to eat all the invasive carp. Nice series of photos thanks for sharing.
Pay Way But I need some for my garden lol
Too bad that's not an invasive Asian Carp but a Common Carp
There’s no way he could fly after that! That was crazy!!
I can only imagine the heartburn that bird had after this.
This bird is going to sleep for a full week, and won't have to eat for a month.
or year rs
and never wake up
It will be back tomorrow.... maybe remaining on the shore hunting for rodents...it's a bird....high energy use gaining flight regardless of size relevant to number of beats of wings per minute....once aloft it can glide but it flys closer to the ground much more than other birds it's size....they are patient hunters stalking it's meals for quite awhile.... but it's doubtful that it will continue that day after that size of meal..
As long as he doesn't move
This took at least 30 or 40 minutes. The heron on my lake takes a solid 10 minutes just to kill a half pound bluegill before it tries to swallow it.
you are correct--this is a staged photo session by a pro photographer using a fresh dead fish. the heron ate the fish--but did not kill it at all--thus no video.
@@jaysilverheals4445 Had a feeling that was the case. I have video of mine eating a 1 pound Mayan Cichlid and due to its shape it took its time making sure It was dead before it even tried to eat it.
Just look how the bird is standing at the end of the video thinking what to doo now......😂
The Bosque Del Apache is one of my favorite birding locations and cool for other wildlife as well. Winter is a superb time to visit with thousands of Sandhill cranes and snow geese and ross geese. It's quite a spectacle in winter.
DAAAANG!!! Had no idea they could eat fish that big!!!! That explains a lot about my pond.
what fascinates me most in those cases is how the anatomy of the bird fits the huge prey´s body. Have you checked out the disgestion system of a heron? The stomach isnt that big and the fish has almost the size of the Herons entire bodylength (without fethers)....I mean, how can he handle that?
OR SHE. Lol
Yeah! And how do you digest something that massive?? What kind of boulders are in its gizzard?
Their gastric juices are highly acidic. The prey is basically dissolved.
Chocolate Covered Cherries What about the skeletal bones?
@@hearditman Most predatory birds produce pellets of indigestible matter like bones and scales, herons not being an exception.
I wonder if the bird could get airborne after taking on that extra weight.
Very nicely taken photos.
This reminds me of the guy last summer of the guy at our local China Buffet. He had 8 platefuls of food just while we were there. No idea what he had before we got there.
Poor Heron,been cursed with a big appetite and also cursed that it cannot taste its food but can only swallow.Eating a big fish without tasting it..
momthegreatest It's a carp believe me It's better if you can't taste it.
Great photography. Thanks for sharing. Lots of time shore fishing on the west central coast of Florida has exposed this fisherman to many such events. They easily consume huge lady fish.
You know why you have so many downvotes, right? TH-cam is a video channel, not a still photography channel, and people visit to see video of the amazing event, not stills, no matter how good they may be.
you have your opinion and are welcome to it , believe me if I had been in a position to shoot video I would have , regardless those that enjoy nature will watch the video slideshow and appreciate it as it is
@@freedoggg Oh, well what is your opinion about why it has so many downvotes compared to other videos with the same type of content? You could even add “still photos” or “no video” to the title, and perhaps that would reduce the number of those opinions.
@@ReflectedMiles Almost 4 million views ... 3,800 thumbs down don't bother me ... you can not please everyone
@@freedoggg So you’re saying you’re good at clickbait with your title and your thumbnail? 😁 The usual metric is thumbs-up versus thumbs-down, not thumbs-down vs. views, especially if they didn’t hang around to the end.
The last picture it looks like the bird thinking: What did I just eat? My throat feel strange now.
Given how bony a carp is, I bet that bird was coughing up pellets for weeks.
They have no problem with turtles, shells and all, so this wont be an issue for this bird
There must be a physical limit to the size of prey a heron can fit down its gullet/gizzard.
This must be so close to that limit.
I'm amazed it could breathe.
Its eyes must be bigger than its tummy! :-))
On another heron video someone commented that if herons were the size of horses, we would be in big trouble.
I go through this every time I see a large pizza.
"Come on stomach, we can do this..."
Wonderful! Incredible photography! glad you mention below it took 11 minutes.
I was wondering about that.
he dreamed that up--hes lying--it is a staged photo shoot with a fresh dead fish. the heron did not kill it at all.
what kind of camera did you use again the pics are great.every detail is visible on the heron and the fish.
Thank you, it was an incredible experience to witness. I was using a Canon 7D with 300mm
Why not just make a fucking video?
"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" had to be a2 pounder damn!
More like 5 to 7 pounds
THAT WAS A DEAD FISH PUT OUT FOR THE PHOTO SESSION. Herons spear the capture many times over many minutes--and each stick is astonishingly well placed through the heart no matter what angle it goes in from whatever position. its gory and bloody and takes along time. just be aware this is a staged photo shoot with an absolutely perfect pristine fish by a pro photographer that hows how to do setups like this--the fish was not a wild caught speared fish at all.
What you described of a heron killing a large fish before trying to swallow is exactly what happen here. It would be impossible for a heron to swallow a fish this large if it hadn't already killed if first . Your accusation that this was staged is ridiculous, the fish was in water and your suggestion it would have been bloody has no merit
Great Footage!
Nice big meal , must have been HUNGRY!
Incredible, this Heron is like a snake. Huge fish did not get stuck in its throat!
He probably couldn’t fly after that lol just sit and digest
That’s not a bird. It’s a snake with wings
That fish is like half the size of that heron. Imagine you eating food the amount half the size of yourself. Insane nature.
ALL GLORIES & PRAISES TO ALMIGHTY, THEIR, OUR & EVERYTHING'S CREATOR!
These birds are like a remnant of the dinosaur era.
Wouldn’t surprise me if that was 70% of his body weight.
It's like giving birth, but in a opposite way.
Not just swallowing it, but what an insane stomach they must have! To digest that bones and all! I can’t conceive of swallowing a whole ham and surviving.
how can he breath in his nostrils and eat at the same time 😂😂😆😄😄
That's what I thought, too. :) :) :)
Plot twist. He breath from anus
How did it breath and not choke?
He just gave a new definition to the word, "Big Gulp."
I'm really happy I'm 6' 2". If I were Tom Cruise I'd be scared of Heron's.
LaughTooHard Ah, great! Whatever shred of self-esteem I had left is now completely gone.
That would make an Anaconda proud!
Or Anaconda may want a challenge.
@@cheath8705 k
Great series of stills I see a lot of Herons but have yet to see one catch a fish. Surprised it managed to eat a fish that size though. Well done.
Wild Suburbia UK Πανούσης
I saw a Great Blue Heron eat a Green Heron once, beak first, legs dangling out each side of its beak.
Literally LOL, he must've double his weight in one meal!
Wonder if he got a stomach ach
My wife said that I was sick watching this stuff. But it’s nature!
She probably thinking... Chew your food ..is all
I never knew a heron could swallow a such a large fish.
When that comes out the other end it's going to be one ungodly pile of shit.
if Heron is as big as a cow it could swallow a human without fear...
Nice shots! was that whole big fish still wriggling about in the heron's gullet while going down?!
No,the heron had killed the carp, but because of the size it took 11 minutes for the heron to position the fish to be able to swallow it
Lomobviods
……kgi
Now we know why they're called GREAT Blue Heron!
I bet he just hated himself afterwards.
Hell,, who among us hasn't done the same? LOL
Probably bulimic, went to the birdie bathroom and threw it up!😆
That bird won't need feeding for another week! Excellent photography, thanks.
wow! this has got to best ever magic trick i have seen in my life.
You don't see that everyday, or ever, very nice.
can you imagine the dump he's gonna have to take! unngggghhh! aahhh!
TMI ALERT!!!
😂😂😂
Log of a lifetime
And probably over my car!
If I didn't see it, I wouldn't have believed it...wow
Something fishy about this l think
WOW! We have begging Great Blue Herons. They stand behind us while we fish.
Amazing catch!! I love the Bosque.
Good shots angles was on point 🔥
And the over achiever award of the year goes to GB Heron!
That Heron is going to have to take the bus home
Two eagles sitting in a tree watching the heron fish. Young eagle says to older eagle "I'm gonna go down and kill and eat that skinny ol' heron." Older eagle says "Just wait a few minutes." Impatient young eagle waits.
Heron kills and eats huuuge fish.
Older eagle says to young eagle "Now go eat the heron."
Her: It's my first time you know...
Also her:
After seeing this,I now believe impossible is nothing
This is a John Kasich moment, Little bites John, Little bites.
Is it OK if the fish is bigger than the bird's crop? Can a bird die from this? Presumably the scales make regurgitation impossible.
Still a better love story than Twilight.
Ничего себе, как удав! Так удав , когда съест, ползать не может. А этой птица способна взлететь ! Сила! Восхищаюсь!
I saw the very same thing happen near my inlaws cottage on Lake Erie. Couldn't believe my eyes
Hi i am from indramayu city
Good music
Good video
Super slowmotion , nice video
Wow! It's all I can say. How do these animals do it?
wonder how long he would last without a meal afterwards
I'm thinking a week or two.
Amazing but the most confusing thing is that, how is she going to EJECT this fish remains...? Quite painful though 😄
Yeah, in another video a Great Blue Heron ate a gopher and a few minutes later regurgitated it. This heron I believe will have a heck of a problem with those dorsal fins after eating that fish head first, which is its usual way of eating. Nature has already worked that problem out, still... 😬
"buuuurrrrp. What's for dessert? "
I, too, would have liked to see that heron get airborne after that dinner!
Heron is a nickname for a tall person.
Video (noun)
1.
the recording, reproducing, or broadcasting of moving visual images.
2.
a recording of moving visual images made digitally or on videotape.
yep, aren't you smart
Everything is beautiful in the nature 😃😀⚘
I'd like to know what lure it used.
That was unreal ! I'll bet the heron is thinking 2 things. 1) "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" and 2) I'll never do that (big of a fish) again .
How it's even possible to follow something that big, wow 😲
Herons have wide mouths and throats that are designed to stretch to accomodate large prey like that
Wow, that is simply amazing. Great shots!
ความสามารถพิเศษห้ามรอกเรียนแบบ กินแล้วจะเอาไปไว้ตรงไหนหนอ...?
How comes they don't seem to bulge in their crop or even the neck they swallow? No body part seem to change significantly in size as they swallow a fish that is at least twice the diameter of their throats. Seems to me like magic birds. They can swallow your baby and you wont be any wiser.
He's going to need a longer runway for take-off.
Gasoline too