Hungry Heron!

All very quiet for Steve Powell yesterday; no Dipper, no Golden Oriole, very little at Charca de Suarez and even less at the Rio Velez in Torre del Mar!  However, he did manage to see both a Little Bittern and a Purple Swamphen at the Charca de Suarez Reserve and capture a shots of a Purple Heron, having enjoyed a frog starter, take on a large snake for the main course.  Not sure whether or not the purple Heron stayed for a postre!  As Steve said, "Charca was quiet but we saw a Little Bittern and had fun watching this Purple Heron feeding.  It had just gobbled up a sizable frog when it speared a pretty big snake. The snake fought quite hard and wriggled vigorously until the heron eventually swallowed it whole!  Some appetite!"

Little Bittern  Avetorillo Comun  Ixobrychus minutus

Unusually, the Rio Velez was very quiet with just a single Kentish Plover and a couple of Ringed Plovers.  But, at least, he did have that wonderful and beautiful accompaniment of all those singing Nightingales, Reed and Cetti's Warblers, not to mention many varied butterflies and dragonflies to keep him occupied!

The "Hungry Heron" - or how to feed a Purple Heron Garza Imperial Ardea purpurea

First try out a large fog by way of an hors d'oeuvre then seek out a most appetising snake!

First select a rather juicy snake

Second, don't panic when it starts to wriggle about

Thirdly, start to swallow with a smooth and gentle action

Nearly done; just that little extra swallow

That's better; now with what should I follow that?

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