Bird of the Week – Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is visual evidence that birds did indeed evolve from dinosaurs; when you see a Great Blue in flight, you can almost think you are seeing a pterodactyl.
Great Blue Heron, Juneau
Great Blues are found in Alaska throughout Southeast and in Southcentral Alaska as far west as Seward. There are irregular reports from Cook Inlet.
Great Blue with a snack, Cordova
While Great Blues are equally at home in marine and freshwater environments, in Alaska they are mostly marine and estuarine.
Great Blue fishing the shoreline, Valdez
Although this is primarily a fish eater, wading (often belly deep) along the shoreline of oceans, marshes, lakes, and rivers, it also hunts upland areas for rodents and other animals, especially in winter. It has been known to eat most animals that come within striking range. You would be amazed at the size of prey a Great Blue can get down its throat.
For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.
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Quite common in iowa. See at least one almost daily. Used to have one now and then fly onto a sandbar when I fished at night. They apparently like to dine in soft lantern light. Must be the ambience.
common in my part of Alaska but not in great numbers.
One of my favorites to watch
One way you can always identify one from a distance when it’s flying is the fact that its legs trail.