Tactical Fishing Techniques of the Tricolored Heron ~ Compensating for bright light!
It was the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on our country, and it was another perfectly blue sky day (eerily similar to that fateful day). I watched several hours of tributes to those who died and how the attack unfolded. 20 years ago we were living in Camden, Maine and we sat glued to the TV all day long, holding hands, devastated by what we were witnessing on the news. Today, we live in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and between reliving 9/11 and following the current situation in Afghanistan, I needed to get outside and spend a little time with nature.
One of my favorite places to go birding and relax is the old Pitt Street Bridge in Mt. Pleasant. It is about a 20 minute drive from our house along the backroads. As soon as I put the top down on my T-bird and headed to Pitt Street my spirits lifted. As I turned in to park I was curious as to how many species of birds I might see. I had checked the tidal charts and it was just before low-tide, which is usually the best time to see wading birds fishing along the shoreline.
I had my Canon 400mm lens ready for action, but as I walked along the park-like setting all was quiet. I saw a few seagulls and an egret off in the distance. It was almost as if even the birds were laying low on this anniversary of 9/11. It would be OK to get skunked. Just breathing the fresh air at Pitt Street was what I needed.
As I neared the end of the disconnected bridge, off in the distance was a Great Egret, a Snowy Egret, and a Tricolored Heron wading in the shallow water. They appeared to be going after small fish and or shrimp. The strong sunlight was backlighting them and they appeared almost silhouette-like. I knew I wasn’t close enough to capture very good quality images, but I snapped away so as not to get skunked. :)
The bridge at low-tide stands a good 15-20 feet up above the water, so I was also shooting down at my subjects, which usually makes for disappointing images. This time, however, my vantage point gave me a birds-eye view of some unusual antics by the Tricolored Heron.
I’ve seen Egrets and Tricolored Herons both stir up the water with their feet, lift their wings and go after fish in a stabbing motion. But this time, the Tricolored Heron was employing a tactical fishing technique that I found fascinating.
As he waded into the shallow pools of water in the mud flats, the heron began lifting both wings, and with the bright sun at his back the wings created a strong reflection on the water, shading the surface. The heron knows inherently that fish and crustaceans are drawn to the shade! At the same time the heron was brilliantly using his wings as a pair of sunglasses, blocking the glare on the surface of the water, making the water translucent and improving his visibility for attacking his prey.
My luck was changing. The bird kept coming in my direction, getting closer and closer until he was right below me. He turned one direction and then another, adjusting his wings according to the direction of the sun, as he chased what I believe were mostly shrimp.
At times he would crouch low and move ever so slowly before a strike, which is what I see most often. But, then he would move quickly with wings up and create a canopy of feathers. It was fascinating to watch and photograph. As he flew over to the other side of the bridge and further away, I marveled at what I had just witnessed.
I started to head back to my car, grateful that the Tricolored Heron’s performance took my mind off 9/11 for a short time. Then about 15 feet away, perched on the side of the bridge was one of my favorite birds, the elusive Belted Kingfisher. Another rare sighting for me.
The ride home was a good one, with music playing, and feeling blessed to have had the experience. Thank you to all who have served our country and are serving our country, so that we Americans can live free and enjoy our freedoms!
“One of the joys of being an artist is having the freedom to follow my passion….”
What’s next?
Drawing by William R. Beebe