Little Blue Heron

Photographing birds requires a great deal of patience. Last year I spent many hours standing silently near ponds and streams in Florida watching several species of birds hunting for fish. I learned that if I didn't move quickly, most birds get used to me standing nearby and will continue to hunt despite my presence.

The first photo shows a little blue heron keeping a close eye on what I was doing at the time. Later, it went back to hunting and was lucky enough to catch a fish just as I took a photo. You can see the tiny fish in its beak. The third photo also shows the bird catching another fish, but the splash it made in the water makes it hard to see the fish in this image.

Imagine the amount of energy it has to use just to catch one tiny fish. It would probably need quite a few of these tiny fish to survive. Multiply that by all the birds in Florida and you realize how many of these fish must be eaten every day.

If you are interested in photos of Florida birds, feel free to check photos of 15 different species at: http://www.lanephotography.com/birds/birds_of_florida_01.htm