The Great Blue Heron
Up to four feet tall, with a six foot wing span, these ancient birds have existed virtually unchanged for millions of years. Mating and nesting in tree top platforms made of sticks,they are usually found in great colonies known as heronries. Standing dead still in shallow water, they wait for unwary fish to spear with their sharp bills. Carrying the fish up on the riverbank, the heron will spear his prey as it slowly suffocates out of water. When the fish has gasped its last, the heron will flip it up and swallow it head first. Many young herons do not survive because they cannot learn this skill.