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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@jimzenor9148 His name is freddie. Early in his career he didnt play dead nearly as well as he did in this skit. He looked completely dead. Which is a skill he has mastered, looking forward to seeing him in future skits
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.
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.
@jimzenor9148 swallowing whole its meal seems to steal from the elegance on which it was gotten. Stealth. Artistry. Patience. Two thumbs (primaries) up
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.
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)
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.
This is the cycle of life in nature, you eat or be eaten. Nature knows it is exact balance. During the formative years of Communist China, Mao declared that the swallows were eating most of the rice, and there was a campaign against them; the swallows were nearly wiped out, but there was even less rice because the swallows would eat the locusts which ate the rice. BTW herons also eat fish when they can catch it.
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.
Yeah most of my videos are Great Blue Herons hunting. It has been a goal of mine to capture night herons catching gophers for a couple years because that was when I first saw one eat one but I only managed to video the swallowing of that gopher. I saw them hunting and that was cool but they weren’t successful.
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.
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.
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 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.
What did it do in the initial strike to incapacitate the gopher? Does it shake the prey in order to break its neck? It looks like it couldn't suffocate it. Nice catch by the way (of the heron's behaviour).
I think in this case this bird inadvertently pierced the gopher in the throat. It’s hard to see and I’m not sure but I did look at it multiple times and slowed way down. That is why I think the gopher was wiggling so much at the beginning. The bird then grabbed it by the neck and squeezed and shook it until it could be eaten.
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. 🤷♀️
A few months ago, I saw an owl in the neighborhood flying with a squirrel in its talons. Unfortunately, it dropped the squirrel, and it was between a house and the fence. There was not enough space for the owl to fly down and get it.
When the heron let go of it, the gopher seemed to already be fatally wounded, but the snatch was so quick, I couldn't see what caused the injury. Did the bird stab it with its beak in the beginning?
Yeah I think it did. I think it was probably accidental because this bird usually grabs and chokes but it looked to me in a slowed version that it pierced the neck in a pretty vital spot.
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
It was hunting again the next morning. When it eats a normal sized gopher, it will begin hunting again almost immediately, after just a few seconds. I seen it catch a gopher when it hadn’t finished swallowing the previous one.
@@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.
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.
Perhaps the reason why the bird isn't hunting on the more manicured lawn, where the gopher mounds are, to not exhaust the supply of gophers those mounds provide?
We have two types of these birds at work in California. However, not this particular type or at least I haven't seen this kind. They come every summer at Google to nest & they're protected by law. People always come to take pictures of them.
Maybe it’s a yellow crowned night heron. They are pretty rare here in Southern California. I’m hoping to film one hunting but most likely it would be crayfish or something like that.
How did the heron actually kill the gopher? Is the heron's bite force strong enough to break the gopher's neck? Or did the heron choke the gopher like a lion does to its prey? The heron didn't seem to hold the gopher long enough to do that?
@@NathanLGrossman this was the only time when it seemed this heron stabbed its prey, probably by accident IMO. It generally grabs and chokes but in this case right when it struck it seemed to get a lucky shot on the jugular. I looked at it frame by frame and to me that’s the best explanation for the bird immediately dropping the gopher and the gopher wiggling so much. I made 4 videos of this bird over a couple weeks and it was pretty consistent about grabbing and choking and shaking its prey.
This bird is about a mile from my house in El Dorado Park in Long Beach, California. I miss the “real” wilderness but I found that you can find wildlife in the local parks.
I have seen Great Blue Herons reject gophers presumably because they were too big. It was when they could catch plenty of gophers. I have also seen them eat gophers far larger than those previously rejected. I have seen gophers larger than the one this night heron ate. It took it most of a half hour to swallow it. I’m pretty sure it could eat a larger gopher but it would be even more difficult for the small bird. I think it is smart enough to gauge the size but also it has an amazing ability to eat really big prey. I think it can try and if it really is too big, it can most likely vomit / force it back out. I saw a GBH do that with a really large one but the gopher just got slimier and it was eventually successfully swallowed.
![ละลาย (LALALYE) - DAOU PITTAYA ต้าห์อู๋ พิทยา [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wo6r9TgausI/mqdefault.jpg)
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’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.
Just like watching a guy eat a Double Quarter Pounder without anything to drink. 😂
.....in one bite!
Stormy Daniels competition .
And with no fries!
that's fish without the chips
And with no hands
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...
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!
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
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
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
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?
As someone who owns a lawn, I approve of this video.
Lol
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.
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.
Heron in tree: "No, stop filming! You musn't see me like this!"
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.
One thing is for sure.. the heron never complains about hair in it's food.
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.
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.
Amazing video quality.
Thanks. It really helps that this bird lets me position myself where I want to go.
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.
Props, friend, great footage. Good to see the night-heron get its reward and the pocket gopher get its due!
Thank you for your time and efforts. Great video
My pleasure and thanks.
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.
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.
I need these birds in my back lawn! Awesome footage.
Agreed. Chipmunks and moles.
@@jbonegwthe moles is more useful
You need car
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.
no gophers were harmed in the filming of this video. Most likely a stunt gopher
He definitely deserved an Oscar for best supporting actor.
@@jimzenor9148 His name is freddie. Early in his career he didnt play dead nearly as well as he did in this skit. He looked completely dead. Which is a skill he has mastered, looking forward to seeing him in future skits
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.
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’m glad the gopher and the bird became good friends and decided to move in and learn to fly from the inside
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.
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.
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
Note how the Heron dispatched the gopher by strangulation.
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.
Red Tail Hawk: Mmm, stuffed heron!
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.
Yup good job 👏 Blue Heron also is stunning
2:31 Gotcha..... its lunch time. 3:03 choke it out. 5:56 Fatality. Herron wins... flawless victory.
Heron became Russell Crowe in the movie gladiator
“are you not entertained”
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)
Amazing how the head zooms ahead and remains totally immobile waiting for the body to catch up to it.
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.
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.
Spectacular footage. Love how it is totally uncut!
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.
Huh. Now Im eyeing my parakeet suspiciously
That parakeet could do some damage to you
This is the cycle of life in nature, you eat or be eaten. Nature knows it is exact balance. During the formative years of Communist China, Mao declared that the swallows were eating most of the rice, and there was a campaign against them; the swallows were nearly wiped out, but there was even less rice because the swallows would eat the locusts which ate the rice. BTW herons also eat fish when they can catch it.
sparrow
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.
I've seen a great blue heron do this, but this guy looks quite a bit smaller. Amazing.
Yeah most of my videos are Great Blue Herons hunting. It has been a goal of mine to capture night herons catching gophers for a couple years because that was when I first saw one eat one but I only managed to video the swallowing of that gopher. I saw them hunting and that was cool but they weren’t successful.
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.
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!
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.
Beautiful looking bird and great capture as always Jim.
Thanks. This bird is really a pleasure to watch. It is full of surprises.
Pretty cool stuff ,yeah a little sad but he dispatched it quickly and efficiently,Kudos Heron
Fascinating video! Thank you for sharing this.
My pleasure and you are very welcome. I am happy to share 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.
can you store it in your glove compartment or keep it in the trunk safely? Summer months???
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.
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.
Plot twist: gopher used those choppers to chew its way out the bird's stomach.
What did it do in the initial strike to incapacitate the gopher?
Does it shake the prey in order to break its neck? It looks like it couldn't suffocate it.
Nice catch by the way (of the heron's behaviour).
I think in this case this bird inadvertently pierced the gopher in the throat. It’s hard to see and I’m not sure but I did look at it multiple times and slowed way down. That is why I think the gopher was wiggling so much at the beginning. The bird then grabbed it by the neck and squeezed and shook it until it could be eaten.
That gopher has some huge chompers! 3:14
Yeah it sure does.
Modern descendants of dinosaurs. So evident in the way they hunt and stalk their prey. Well evident in this example.
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. 🤷♀️
Great photography, and subject matter.
Thanks
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.
A few months ago, I saw an owl in the neighborhood flying with a squirrel in its talons. Unfortunately, it dropped the squirrel, and it was between a house and the fence. There was not enough space for the owl to fly down and get it.
That was very entertaining Jim. i feel for the gophers as well sometimes, i liked that you showed a soft side.
Tareq Alsaadi with his RC Helikopter in the background.
There were some very impressive drone races very near where this heron was filmed.
Two minutes in before I realized he had a Shaolin ponytail
Wow, that's a cool video, great shot! Did the bird actually swallow the animal whole?
@@xaxoon69 thanks. Yes. It definitely swallowed it whole. That was the biggest one I saw it eat.
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
That's just brunch.
Bad Bad Heron !!! Shop at Whole Foods like the rest of us.
This heron really does eats Whole Foods like every thing including bones, claws and tails
@@jimzenor9148 chh
At 6:22 the bird bursts.
When the heron let go of it, the gopher seemed to already be fatally wounded, but the snatch was so quick, I couldn't see what caused the injury. Did the bird stab it with its beak in the beginning?
Yeah I think it did. I think it was probably accidental because this bird usually grabs and chokes but it looked to me in a slowed version that it pierced the neck in a pretty vital spot.
I know it’s nature but I still feel bad for the little guy
I need some of those at my house,, Damn Ground squirrels have holes everywhere!! Occasionally a Hawk makes 💜💜 a fly through and gets a 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 😅
Oh please ,,,,, You don’t feel for chickens or cows ,EVER.
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.
Omg hunter I need to get one of these birds ❤
This Heron wants to Gopher more.😊😊😊😊
😂😂😂
Nice pun
How long does it take for it to digest that thing and feel hungry again?
It was hunting again the next morning. When it eats a normal sized gopher, it will begin hunting again almost immediately, after just a few seconds. I seen it catch a gopher when it hadn’t finished swallowing the previous one.
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.
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.
The raptor eating it's human prey.
Not a raptor
@@chipsrafferty8362 Just a reference to the Jurassic park scenes
Well it is a dinosaur.
Perhaps the reason why the bird isn't hunting on the more manicured lawn, where the gopher mounds are, to not exhaust the supply of gophers those mounds provide?
Yeah maybe so but the city has come through a couple times and poisoned the gophers so there aren’t many left now.
We have two types of these birds at work in California. However, not this particular type or at least I haven't seen this kind. They come every summer at Google to nest & they're protected by law. People always come to take pictures of them.
Maybe it’s a yellow crowned night heron. They are pretty rare here in Southern California. I’m hoping to film one hunting but most likely it would be crayfish or something like that.
02:30 damn that peck hit somethin vital. the gopher was spazzin
Wow this bird knows the oxygen cut off button , a bird of prey in deed
How did the heron actually kill the gopher? Is the heron's bite force strong enough to break the gopher's neck? Or did the heron choke the gopher like a lion does to its prey? The heron didn't seem to hold the gopher long enough to do that?
@@NathanLGrossman this was the only time when it seemed this heron stabbed its prey, probably by accident IMO. It generally grabs and chokes but in this case right when it struck it seemed to get a lucky shot on the jugular. I looked at it frame by frame and to me that’s the best explanation for the bird immediately dropping the gopher and the gopher wiggling so much. I made 4 videos of this bird over a couple weeks and it was pretty consistent about grabbing and choking and shaking its prey.
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
Where is it? You are lucky to have a rich variety of wildlife there
This bird is about a mile from my house in El Dorado Park in Long Beach, California. I miss the “real” wilderness but I found that you can find wildlife in the local parks.
@@jimzenor9148 excellent!
thanks for your reply. These birds are amazing !
Wonder what type of heron it was but this is a Black-Crowned night Heron if anyone else was wondering
Yes you are correct. We sometimes get the yellow crowned night heron but I’d be surprised to see one of those hunting gophers.
Would the bird know if the prey is too large to swallow?
I have seen Great Blue Herons reject gophers presumably because they were too big. It was when they could catch plenty of gophers. I have also seen them eat gophers far larger than those previously rejected. I have seen gophers larger than the one this night heron ate. It took it most of a half hour to swallow it. I’m pretty sure it could eat a larger gopher but it would be even more difficult for the small bird. I think it is smart enough to gauge the size but also it has an amazing ability to eat really big prey. I think it can try and if it really is too big, it can most likely vomit
/ force it back out. I saw a GBH do that with a really large one but the gopher just got slimier and it was eventually successfully swallowed.
That gopher looking like Peter Pettigrew😭
It reminds me of myself when I go for that third plate of food at the buffet😂
What did you use to shoot this great footage? Very persistent filming - well done!
@@WordyBirdNerd thanks. I used a Canon R6 with a Canon 400 mm DO lens.
Wow, documentary film level shooting. Very interesting. Thanks!
Thanks. The heron was very cooperative that day.
Nature is so very fascinating and impressive. We simply need to stop, look up from our cellphones and take notice
That is so true.