So the plan is over the next few days, I will chose a bird to share. Since most of our wading birds here along the Georgia Coast are large and easier to see, I think this is a good starting point.. Today it will be the Great Blue Heron. The Great Blue Heron is probably the largest wading bird in our area. They stand about 47" tall and have a wing span of about 6'. This is an elegant and stately bird with gimlet eyes that are ever watchful. The Great Blue Heron is a sight hunter, wading quietly through the marshes looking for a fish to spear. The photo below was taken in Jesup along the Altamaha River near the Doctor Town Bridge. This bird was following a school of fish flying just a few feet at a time instead of walking along with them. Maybe his feet were tired. In this picture you can easily see the blue body, long graceful neck, strong legs and the large wings.
The Great Blue Heron is a solitary wading bird. Rarely will you see more than one in the same area, unless it is during breeding season in a colony. However, they can often be seen wading with Great Egrets, Wood Storks, Ibis and Snowy Egrets. Although the Great Egret and the Great Blue Heron are both large wading birds, the Great Blue Heron weighs almost twice as much as the Great Egret. Both of the photos above show the adult Great Blue Heron with all their colors and markings easy to identify. The pictures on the left show a juvenile Great Blue with a small catfish he speared while fishing and the one below is a close up shot before he ran into the marsh with his prized lunch. I can't help but wonder how he swallowed that fish without the fins getting caught in his throat. As you can see in the photos the juveniles are much more muted in color. These photos are actually some of my newest shots from this weekend at the Okefenokee Swamp Wildlife Refuge in Folkston.
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