When I was a youth, we were feeding the ducks at a pond. One of these herons was there. Never having seen one before, we tossed it some bread. The heron picked up the bread and put it in the water. Using the bread as bait, it caught six fish, the sixth being too big for it to swallow. It readjusted the bread between every fish to keep it in just the right spot.
I saw one do that with a big beef rib it took from the garbage. It ran the bone with some meat on it to the water and dropped it in and then waited watching over it. These birds are very clever.
Spectacular! National Geo just gets its money shot and goes home. Jim stays the course. Not sure I would want to be a bloated black-crowned night-heron, but I like watching one get there. This species and the yellow-crowned are so interesting in their patient, deliberate ways.
I remember a couple years ago I saw one grab a beef rib from the garbage and run it to the water and it dropped it for bait. It then watched it presumably waiting for a crawdad or small fish. I’ve been a fan of them ever since.
Great video.. what’s impressive is that this guy is about half the size of his bigger relatives the great egret and the great blue heron yet still tackled a rather large meal. Thanks for sharing..
Thanks. Most of my videos are Great Blue Herons and a few Great Egrets catching gophers. I watched night herons hunting them before this video but this guy was the first successful hunt I managed to see. It made my day (year really) that I was finally able to document it.
The first time I saw a heron I was a child. I was out in the woods exploring a stream and stumbled upon a blue heron. It was taller than I was. I didn't even know they existed at the time, so it was a surprise to see such a large bird up close.
You got to admire the patience of the bird. Rip gopher. It's not easy out there, but in your own way you're helping preserve our wonderful ecosystem by keeping these birds and others fed b
There was a tree near to where I used to live and these guys roosted there. The white washed cars that parked under that tree were basically totaled IMO.
Amazing video! Smooth transitioning subtitles, no voice overs and no background music. I fully expected to forward the video and just watch the parts of catching and swallowing, but I ended up watching the whole thing.
Wow. Impressive that it could swallow that critter whole like that. Also impressive to get the whole thing on camera considering the bird was flying around. Good job.
Birds are dinosaurs. Just imagine how smart T rex and other predatory dinosaurs really were. They were likely as smart as ravens and herons and likely could use tactics such as baiting prey.
@@snappingbear no pal. It sounds like you didn’t finish grade school if you think birds are dinosaurs. That was a myth thoroughly discredited decades ago.
Curious...all my years in Lakewood, this was the last thing I would think of ever seeing in the city. I don't who's the better stalker, the heron or you. Great video. Loved watching this bird move. His head was completely still while the rest of his body caught up to him.
Thanks. Since I was filming it with a monopod and I was sitting on a small chair, it was difficult to pick up the camera and follow the bird even though I was anticipating it might fly.
Yeah these herons are really talented in that regard. I’ve seen them hunting gophers when they sway left and right very much but keep their head still. Their tails and body are wagging back and forth yet their eyes are still. It’s a very strange effect.
what sticks out to me in the way the bird eats is how similar it is to reptiles/snakes. like when a pelican swallows a duck in one gulp, it's not so obvious b/c its beak is gigantic. and raptors pick pieces off their prey. but this little guy looked like it had to disengage his jaw to get that gopher(?) into its gullet.
Thanks. I used to love birds of prey and looked down at herons thinking they were boring and not very efficient hunters. I’ve certainly learned otherwise.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it! I liked the video I made of this bird the previous day even better. This bird has distinctive toes and it is beefier than most of his fellow night herons so I keep an eye out for it.
AWESOME footage. It's wild how snake-like the bird is, moving it's head up, then holding it perfectly still, as it pulls its body forward, then the process repeats.
They are so good at that. I’ve seen them wiggle their entire body swaying back and forth and still keeping their head perfectly still. I found it interesting that this heron chose not to use the really exaggerated movements. I have seen other night herons do that when hunting gophers.
Yeah I agree and the stakes are high. If they miss too many chances, they may not survive. I’ve seen this bird for at least 2 years and it is real bulky and strong so I think it takes advantage of its opportunities.
It’s right next to drone helicopters, model airplanes, a gardener, a drilling rig installing a well, a road with people walking and cars driving, a shooting range etc. This bird doesn’t seem to mind a lot of noise.
The footage you got was amaaaazing, thanks for sharing. It takes a lot of patience and focus to get that much on film... I'm in NorCal, and I vist McNears Beach several times a week. It's my second home ❤ There are several different species of Herons and Egrets, as well as geese and ducks. A wonderful variety Last Fall, though, I spotted one I'd never seen before. The (young) park rangers weren't even sure what it was. It was standing absolutely still at water's edge, like a statue I looked it up and I'm 99% sure it was a Night Heron. I guess up here they're a pretty rare sight, because as their name suggests, they only appear at dusk...?
@jimzenor9148 swallowing whole its meal seems to steal from the elegance on which it was gotten. Stealth. Artistry. Patience. Two thumbs (primaries) up
Yeah I agree. I probably have over a hundred videos of herons eating gophers and Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons nearly always use their dagger like bill. This night heron probably just doesn’t have enough weight to pull it off. They are probably a third of the weight of a great blue just throwing out a wild guesstimate.
You'll never look at birds the same way before...(Allan Grant: Somewhat as to the quote. I was sooo in love with him a 90s kid and still am ^.^ An otaku always)
I have an abundance of squirrels, chipmunks and moles, sure could use one of these guys stopping by for a bite. The hawks and owls don't seem interested in them though. 🤷♀️
Good point. I think that the presence of a red tailed hawk that often sits on power transmission lines between the bird and water might discourage it. The hawk would likely steal the meal.
I felt lucky. My two favorite videos and most watched were of this bird on consecutive days at the very same location. The light was very good and the bird let me set up just where I wanted to.
Thanks. I really really appreciate that. Although it is currently hunting in Area 3, I first saw this bird in 2021 near the wooden walk bridge by the Spring Street entrance.
@@jimzenor9148 I lived directly west of the LBP range. I loved hearing the rouinds going off. I participated in a car show outside the range... but stepped in some poop. LOL
@@melanies.6030if they are small or medium sized, I’m confident it could eat at least four. The really big ones would take longer between meals. I did see it hunting again the next day after the big meal. I think they can eat a lot in times of plenty.
@@melanies.6030thanks. I learned a lot watching these herons. Some of my older videos are of an old Great Blue Heron I called Greta. I learned so much from following that bird around. I also learned a lot from this night heron. I am happy to share what I can.
Man, I wouldn't have believed that a throat that small on the night heron could get that big of a meal down. The other thing I noticed is that the gopher is asphyxiated. Looked like a slow death. shiver me timbers. We all got to eat!
Thank you so much 😀I drove to the local park about a mile away in this case. The bird was hunting in its usual place. It was there about three weeks hunting in a very small area near a parking lot. I brought my folding chair and set it up near the road so that the bird was in the best lighting. I then watched it looking for indications that it detected something. This bird was very easy to video. Most night herons I video are very nervous birds. This bird did not fear me. That made it much easier to adjust my position. I think the best secret to getting good videos is finding a bird that allows you to video it.
When I was a youth, we were feeding the ducks at a pond. One of these herons was there. Never having seen one before, we tossed it some bread. The heron picked up the bread and put it in the water. Using the bread as bait, it caught six fish, the sixth being too big for it to swallow. It readjusted the bread between every fish to keep it in just the right spot.
I saw one do that with a big beef rib it took from the garbage. It ran the bone with some meat on it to the water and dropped it in and then waited watching over it. These birds are very clever.
@@jimzenor9148wow that’s crazy!
"Clever girl.."
Guess you didn't see it eating the ducklings of the ducks at the pond. That's what it loves to eat.
@@peterthx All I witnessed it eating was fish. I don't know why that fact seems to have disturbed you.
I didn’t know I’d be this enthralled watching a bird eat but here I am. Instant follow
Thanks. I like to follow these guys too😊
@@jimzenor9148I think he’s saying that he followed you
@@cloppinyeah I know. I was kidding. I follow the bird and he follows me following the bird. Bad joke.
@@jimzenor9148 It’s alright
That’s no gopher, it’s a mole rat queen from the wasteland!
Pelicans watching from afar thinking to themselves: "Hmmm, I should try this on a Capybara!"
Now you know a pelican would eat a shih zhu if it could. 😂😂
Herons usually wipe out 80% of ducklings born in the nearby pond.
So... this is the video that inspired that pelican't...
Harsh but tbf ducklings do have very high mortality. They are bite sized.@@TellenJones
Spectacular! National Geo just gets its money shot and goes home. Jim stays the course. Not sure I would want to be a bloated black-crowned night-heron, but I like watching one get there.
This species and the yellow-crowned are so interesting in their patient, deliberate ways.
I remember a couple years ago I saw one grab a beef rib from the garbage and run it to the water and it dropped it for bait. It then watched it presumably waiting for a crawdad or small fish. I’ve been a fan of them ever since.
National Geographic photographers and videographers don't get as much control over what ends up in the cut as you may think.
Birds make dinosaurs even more terrifying
Check out Quetzalcoatlus.
Birds are avian dinosaurs.
Dey'z iz Dinosauzerz!!!!
Those are literally dinosaurs 🤦🏼♀️
@@fubokuenPterosaurs are NOT dinosaurs
Your videos always brighten my day. Thank you for sharing
So nice of you, thank you.
Just like watching a guy eat a Double Quarter Pounder without anything to drink. 😂
.....in one bite!
Stormy Daniels competition .
And with no fries!
And with no hands
Stop watching me eat pls. I’m quite self conscious
Great video.. what’s impressive is that this guy is about half the size of his bigger relatives the great egret and the great blue heron yet still tackled a rather large meal. Thanks for sharing..
Thanks. Most of my videos are Great Blue Herons and a few Great Egrets catching gophers. I watched night herons hunting them before this video but this guy was the first successful hunt I managed to see. It made my day (year really) that I was finally able to document it.
I’m glad these guys aren’t any bigger.
They’d be waiting for you to go out to the car on the way to work.
there were prehistoric creatures just like that. Look up Quetzalcoatlus. Basically a stork the size of a giraffe that could swallow a grown man whole.
I agree, the jurassic period is over.
Yeah because if they were and came after us. We’d extinct them.
There used to be Herons bigger than most men. They've been extinct since the Egyptian dynasty.
This bird is what the grounds keeper in Caddyshack needed
Heron*
The gophers friend was watching him get eaten as he safely danced in the ground hole to “ I’m alriiight” 🎶
Lol!
😂😂😂
The comments never disappoint
The first time I saw a heron I was a child. I was out in the woods exploring a stream and stumbled upon a blue heron. It was taller than I was. I didn't even know they existed at the time, so it was a surprise to see such a large bird up close.
Taller than you??
Thier are quiet a few heron species that can grow pretty tall. They'd easily tower over young kids.
You are lucky, you survived to write about you experience.
Ever walk out into a Front Yard/Driveway with 20-30 or so wild Turkeys milling around?
I have. They ain't small.
I wonder what a Heron tastes like?
Heron in tree: "No, stop filming! You musn't see me like this!"
Props, friend, great footage. Good to see the night-heron get its reward and the pocket gopher get its due!
You got to admire the patience of the bird. Rip gopher. It's not easy out there, but in your own way you're helping preserve our wonderful ecosystem by keeping these birds and others fed b
Great capture and story telling. I learn so much from each video.
Thanks. This guy is a real interesting bird. I learned a lot watching it. It helps that it is super easy to video.
Bird: If I were big enough, I would eat you too cameraman
Thank you for your time and efforts. Great video
My pleasure and thanks.
One thing is for sure.. the heron never complains about hair in it's food.
Amazing video quality.
Thanks. It really helps that this bird lets me position myself where I want to go.
Wow. Excellent video.
Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.
As someone who owns a lawn, I approve of this video.
Lol
We are supposed to be team mammals, dude
He really made sure the gopher wasn’t just plying dead before he released his grip
Good meal...that last for a week. Lot of efforts in filming 🎥
A real wild life video. Thanks buddy. ❤.
Thanks and you are very welcome.
The moment you inadvertently step in a go for a whole, that feeling of empathy for gophers will change!
Red Tail Hawk: Mmm, stuffed heron!
Omgg
Fascinating video! Thank you for sharing this.
My pleasure and you are very welcome. I am happy to share it.
that's gonna make for one impressive splat on some unfortunate windshield.
There was a tree near to where I used to live and these guys roosted there. The white washed cars that parked under that tree were basically totaled IMO.
@@jimzenor9148😂😂
Amazing video! Smooth transitioning subtitles, no voice overs and no background music.
I fully expected to forward the video and just watch the parts of catching and swallowing, but I ended up watching the whole thing.
Thank you very much! Yeah I find it easier and more informative to just show it as it happens as much as possible.
Wow. Impressive that it could swallow that critter whole like that. Also impressive to get the whole thing on camera considering the bird was flying around. Good job.
Claws and fangs are scary, but predatory birds just have a creepy way about them that makes me glad they’re all small now 😂
Title wasn't kidding!! Thanks for sharing as us in the UK don't see either this species of heron or Gophers.
I've seen a grey heron take a Coot in the UK.
Wow , what wonderful photography!!!!
Thanks so much. It really helps that this bird let me sit just where I wanted to and kept the sun (what little there was) to my back.
I need these birds in my back lawn! Awesome footage.
Agreed. Chipmunks and moles.
@@jbonegwthe moles is more useful
You need car
Spectacular footage. Love how it is totally uncut!
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.
Yup good job 👏 Blue Heron also is stunning
Beautiful looking bird and great capture as always Jim.
Thanks. This bird is really a pleasure to watch. It is full of surprises.
Birds are dinosaurs. Just imagine how smart T rex and other predatory dinosaurs really were. They were likely as smart as ravens and herons and likely could use tactics such as baiting prey.
Discredited myth.
@youknowmysteelo Nope, that birds ARE dinosaurs is a well established, rock solid fact.
@@snappingbear that dinosaurs even existed is still up for debate. You watch too many sci fi flicks and cartoons.
@youknowmysteelo So IOW you didn't finish grade school.
@@snappingbear no pal. It sounds like you didn’t finish grade school if you think birds are dinosaurs. That was a myth thoroughly discredited decades ago.
Birds live from paycheck to paycheck and it can't get any better
Yep. They are just a couple missed meals from real peril.
Heron became Russell Crowe in the movie gladiator
“are you not entertained”
Curious...all my years in Lakewood, this was the last thing I would think of ever seeing in the city. I don't who's the better stalker, the heron or you. Great video. Loved watching this bird move. His head was completely still while the rest of his body caught up to him.
Thanks. Honestly it was the heron. This heron was a joy to video because it was not afraid of me at all.
I applaud your efforts to continue filming the bird after it flew away with the pocket gopher. 👏
Thanks. Since I was filming it with a monopod and I was sitting on a small chair, it was difficult to pick up the camera and follow the bird even though I was anticipating it might fly.
Great film👍
😊thank you
Huh. Now Im eyeing my parakeet suspiciously
That parakeet could do some damage to you
Guess you could say this heron could gopher anything it wanted to! XD
Puns aside, it's pretty cool to see how these guys hunt!
Plot twist: gopher used those choppers to chew its way out the bird's stomach.
Pretty cool stuff ,yeah a little sad but he dispatched it quickly and efficiently,Kudos Heron
The way its head stays perfectly still as it moves is so mesmerizing... 😮
Yeah these herons are really talented in that regard. I’ve seen them hunting gophers when they sway left and right very much but keep their head still. Their tails and body are wagging back and forth yet their eyes are still. It’s a very strange effect.
These things really are dinosaurs man.
Ufff sooo very dangerous the dinosaurs? Eh...
All birds are..
@@Omega-wi6fl That's what I mean.
what sticks out to me in the way the bird eats is how similar it is to reptiles/snakes. like when a pelican swallows a duck in one gulp, it's not so obvious b/c its beak is gigantic. and raptors pick pieces off their prey. but this little guy looked like it had to disengage his jaw to get that gopher(?) into its gullet.
Um, no … they’re birds.
Great photography, and subject matter.
Thanks
That was very entertaining Jim. i feel for the gophers as well sometimes, i liked that you showed a soft side.
Very cool and amazing I love Herons!
Thanks. I used to love birds of prey and looked down at herons thinking they were boring and not very efficient hunters. I’ve certainly learned otherwise.
I’m glad the gopher and the bird became good friends and decided to move in and learn to fly from the inside
Stunning footage, thank you!
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it! I liked the video I made of this bird the previous day even better. This bird has distinctive toes and it is beefier than most of his fellow night herons so I keep an eye out for it.
Note how the Heron dispatched the gopher by strangulation.
After that the heron slept for an entire week.
AWESOME footage. It's wild how snake-like the bird is, moving it's head up, then holding it perfectly still, as it pulls its body forward, then the process repeats.
It's head stays in place and doesn't move even a tiny bit while it's body moves into position. Quite amazing.
They are so good at that. I’ve seen them wiggle their entire body swaying back and forth and still keeping their head perfectly still. I found it interesting that this heron chose not to use the really exaggerated movements. I have seen other night herons do that when hunting gophers.
I love watching nature it ain't like they could order out
Yeah I agree and the stakes are high. If they miss too many chances, they may not survive. I’ve seen this bird for at least 2 years and it is real bulky and strong so I think it takes advantage of its opportunities.
Wow, documentary film level shooting. Very interesting. Thanks!
Thanks. The heron was very cooperative that day.
At first not realizing the noise of the traffic, I thought this was filmed in the Amazon jungle, when actually it was in Long Beach, CA.
It’s right next to drone helicopters, model airplanes, a gardener, a drilling rig installing a well, a road with people walking and cars driving, a shooting range etc. This bird doesn’t seem to mind a lot of noise.
Wow this bird knows the oxygen cut off button , a bird of prey in deed
Amazing how the head zooms ahead and remains totally immobile waiting for the body to catch up to it.
Great capture. wow.
Thanks. Yeah it sure made my day.
The footage you got was amaaaazing, thanks for sharing. It takes a lot of patience and focus to get that much on film...
I'm in NorCal, and I vist McNears Beach several times a week. It's my second home ❤
There are several different species of Herons and Egrets, as well as geese and ducks. A wonderful variety
Last Fall, though, I spotted one I'd never seen before. The (young) park rangers weren't even sure what it was. It was standing absolutely still at water's edge, like a statue
I looked it up and I'm 99% sure it was a Night Heron. I guess up here they're a pretty rare sight, because as their name suggests, they only appear at dusk...?
They do seem to prefer to hunt in low light which makes videoing them a challenge.
That bird still has its ford raptor ancestors running strong through its veins.
Well I mean, birds *are* avian dinosaurs, so it’s hard for that instinct to go away
That gopher has some huge chompers! 3:14
Yeah it sure does.
These vids make me very grateful to be out of the food chain
Just stay away from sharks, lions, bears and crocodiles 🙂
I call herons cats on stilts, it’s the way they stalk their prey.
Hah. It even takes its prey into a tree, like a leopard.
Excellent videography. I could gopher a burrito with legs about now.
Thanks. A burrito with legs does describe his meal very well; a nice fat burrito.
@jimzenor9148 swallowing whole its meal seems to steal from the elegance on which it was gotten. Stealth. Artistry. Patience. Two thumbs (primaries) up
He is strangling it. I thought he would stab it. First time I have ever seen a bird do that😂
Yeah I agree. I probably have over a hundred videos of herons eating gophers and Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons nearly always use their dagger like bill. This night heron probably just doesn’t have enough weight to pull it off. They are probably a third of the weight of a great blue just throwing out a wild guesstimate.
You'll never look at birds the same way before...(Allan Grant: Somewhat as to the quote. I was sooo in love with him a 90s kid and still am ^.^ An otaku always)
Two minutes in before I realized he had a Shaolin ponytail
That gopher is gonna be pissed when it comes out the other end.
Yeah. Birds combine their liquid and solid waste so yeah you have a good point there.
I have an abundance of squirrels, chipmunks and moles, sure could use one of these guys stopping by for a bite. The hawks and owls don't seem interested in them though. 🤷♀️
Hey Ron ! Enjoy your meal , ...
The patchy grass gives the bird cover from its prey, and the noisy environment prevents his prey from hearing him walk around. Smart bird.
Heron is not a bird but is it noisy.
Bro is locked tf in for his breakfast
Thought the Heron would keep the gopher pinned down, with its talons and then rip out the proteins.
Water birds such as herons don't have the talons or beaks designed to tear flesh.
Herons do not have talons
Amazing catches
At 6:22 the bird bursts.
They're like Crocodiles and Cats. Very Very patient and persistent!!
Yes I agree. I have especially noticed how cat-like they can be. They stalk prey like a cat.
That's just brunch.
I'm kind of surprised the heron didn't dunk the gopher into water before swallowing it. They usually do.
Good point. I think that the presence of a red tailed hawk that often sits on power transmission lines between the bird and water might discourage it. The hawk would likely steal the meal.
"i feel for the gophers" said no one ever that has had them mess up a nice lawn
And that’s one of the reasons how animals help the ecosystem 😅
Very good video. U were there @ the right moment
I felt lucky. My two favorite videos and most watched were of this bird on consecutive days at the very same location. The light was very good and the bird let me set up just where I wanted to.
This Heron wants to Gopher more.😊😊😊😊
😂😂😂
Nice pun
amazing buddy thankyou for sharing that with us i love wildlife filming
You’re welcome and thank you.
Don't you hear National Geographic calling? 😉
Thanks. I really really appreciate that. Although it is currently hunting in Area 3, I first saw this bird in 2021 near the wooden walk bridge by the Spring Street entrance.
@@jimzenor9148 I lived directly west of the LBP range. I loved hearing the rouinds going off. I participated in a car show outside the range... but stepped in some poop. LOL
I live real close to there too, near Los Coyotes Diagonal and Conant. El Dorado is luckily the closest park.
Complimenti per la ripresa video
Thank you
that first peck jab effed up goph
Yeah. That was a good first peck. It seemed more effective than the other gophers I saw this heron catch.
@jimzenor9148 What's the number they can eat - one per day? Seems like one is a pretty large meal that would last them a few days.
@@melanies.6030if they are small or medium sized, I’m confident it could eat at least four. The really big ones would take longer between meals. I did see it hunting again the next day after the big meal. I think they can eat a lot in times of plenty.
@@jimzenor9148 Wow, that's impressive! Thanks for sharing your videos, outstanding footage!👍
@@melanies.6030thanks. I learned a lot watching these herons. Some of my older videos are of an old Great Blue Heron I called Greta. I learned so much from following that bird around. I also learned a lot from this night heron. I am happy to share what I can.
Man, I wouldn't have believed that a throat that small on the night heron could get that big of a meal down. The other thing I noticed is that the gopher is asphyxiated. Looked like a slow death. shiver me timbers. We all got to eat!
Yep, the benefits of getting such a big meal comes with the cost of having to subdue your dinner first.
I know it’s nature but I still feel bad for the little guy
The Heron choked the gopher to death.
I watched this heron catch about 10 gophers over a couple weeks and he generally choked them all before swallowing.
The raptor eating it's human prey.
Not a raptor
@@chipsrafferty8362 Just a reference to the Jurassic park scenes
Well it is a dinosaur.
Omg hunter I need to get one of these birds ❤
Those two put on a good show!
How you guys flim these videos? How much time it takes and where you place the cameras. It's a great work 👍 👏 ❤
Thank you so much 😀I drove to the local park about a mile away in this case. The bird was hunting in its usual place. It was there about three weeks hunting in a very small area near a parking lot. I brought my folding chair and set it up near the road so that the bird was in the best lighting. I then watched it looking for indications that it detected something. This bird was very easy to video. Most night herons I video are very nervous birds. This bird did not fear me. That made it much easier to adjust my position. I think the best secret to getting good videos is finding a bird that allows you to video it.
Modern descendants of dinosaurs. So evident in the way they hunt and stalk their prey. Well evident in this example.
2:31 Gotcha..... its lunch time. 3:03 choke it out. 5:56 Fatality. Herron wins... flawless victory.
It reminds me of myself when I go for that third plate of food at the buffet😂