Predator and Prey

Gallery: AvianPosted January 5, 2011173 views14 comments

We have had a spell of sunny and cold weather. The wife and I decided to go to Nisqually Wildlife Refuge and brave the cold. This GBH was just out of the parking lot, staring very intently at the grass, so we waited until something happened. I expected a frog, or a mouse, but out came this large gopher! The gopher fought, too! The heron had to drop it after being bitten, but quickly got ahold of it again, and that was the end of the gopher!

Olympus e3
Olympus ED 300 f2.8
ISO 200
f2.8
1/3200th
Cropped for comp

Comments and critiques welcome. Thanks.

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 5, 2011 at 11:22 PM

Always cool when you can get a Heron or an Egret with mammalian prey! Poor little guy had enough to worry about with Raptors!

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by David Thomas on January 6, 2011 at 5:10 AM

What a beauty, both technically and the subject!.

Great blue herons are known to be opportunistic hunters, but we do not often see it let alone get a fine photo.

Dave Thomas, Leesburg, Virginia

Registered on June 21, 2010, 30 Posts, 178 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 6, 2011 at 5:39 AM

Great capture Mike - nice detail and light

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 6, 2011 at 10:02 AM

Very cool, Mike. Excellent detail and great light. When I was at Ridgefield, I saw GBHs scattered over the fields and wondered what they were hunting.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Carol Hyman on January 6, 2011 at 10:44 AM

Great capture, Mike.

So much for the gopher.

Like the separation between the subject and the background.

Mike, were you hand-holding or using a tripod?

Thanks,

Carol

Registered on January 18, 2007, 597 Posts, 8062 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 6, 2011 at 11:27 AM

A strong image in every way. Excellent image quality with good exposure and lots of sharp detail. Very nice light. A good natural setting. Background colors to set off the subject. Very interesting activity.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on January 6, 2011 at 12:20 PM

Love this Michael, the content or "behavior" provides great interest.
Like the warm color tones, nice details. The OOF grass FG RT doesn't bother me..
In the LP the hapless mouse is clear and detailed..You can't help but feel a bit sorry for the poor little guy

Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on January 6, 2011 at 1:52 PM

A great behavioural image

Well done.

Geoff.

Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments

Comment posted by dan elster on January 6, 2011 at 2:38 PM

What Richard Ditch said. The waiting paid off.

Registered on September 23, 2005, 299 Posts, 2443 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on January 6, 2011 at 5:11 PM

Wonderful! I REALLY love it on the larger version, where you see the detail and the catchlight in the prey's eyes as. Really nice story and shot.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on January 6, 2011 at 9:53 PM

Wow, great catch on this image. I've certainly never seen anything like this.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 7, 2011 at 12:12 AM

Rather sad for the gopher but an excellent feeding behavior image. Good sharpness on the head of the heron and the prey but the dof is a bit slim to show the body of the heron in detail.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 7, 2011 at 9:29 AM

Mike, this one is awesome! Love the fact you got the prey's eye in the shot as well. It send this one over the top for me.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Huff on January 13, 2011 at 3:24 PM

Mike, great shot!!!!

Registered on August 31, 2010, 69 Posts, 440 Comments