Herons Abound!

  Yesterday afternoon, Mr. PJ and I had a new visitor at the pier.  The small Green Heron entertained us with his fishing techniques.  His use of lures (bits and pieces of marsh grass) was pretty ingenious but my interest was more in the fact that he was using a "plunge" technique instead of the usual stalking.  Green Herons are pretty versatile birds to be able to swap up their methods to suit the need.

  Today, however, yet a different heron came to visit.  While Mark was throwing the net to feed our resident Great Blue Heron, Moe, a sudden flutter of wings shifted our sights to the newcomer.  A graceful Yellow-crowned Night Heron had flown to the pier.  It seems that the place is becoming quite popular with the herons, lately!

  The Yellow-crowned Night Heron is one of my favorites.  While this bird does not employ the intelligent techniques of the Green Heron, its grace and beauty make it worth watching.  Despite its name, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron often hunts during the daytime hours.  It will quietly fly into an area, pick a spot that is slightly secluded and, then, wait for prey to come to it.  The smallish bird feeds mainly on crustaceans but has no problem taking a fish, frog or insect if the opportunity arises.  The Yellow-crowned Night Heron has also been known to feed upon small turtles as its stomach secretes an acid that can dissolve the shells.

  You just never know what will visit the Bayou!  Each day is a new adventure if the time is taken to observe the surroundings.