I spent a wet but pleasant half hour yesterday watching this great blue heron hunt at Naskeag Point.
Raindrops were puckering the water and small fish were leaping out of it every time he plunged his spear-like bill into a school. (Sex assumed; look closely for the jumping fish.) Sometimes, the heron stretched so far it was a wonder that he could stay upright.
He must have eaten at least a fish a minute. After filling up, he spread his beautiful fan-like wings and disappeared into the fog.
Great blues are our largest common wading birds. However, breeding pairs have been in steady decline, apparently due in large part to our increase in bald eagles, which prey on heron chicks. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on July 2, 2023.)