another great blue heron(a bit gory)

David Schoen's recent post of the gbh w a vole reminded me of this shot I took in Lithia Park, Ashland OR. This goldfish had to be 12 inches long and weigh a pound. The bird landed shortly after this shot and proceeded to pound the fish on some rocks several times and then discarded it. Strange.
ps. I "lurk" in PNWNP often and it's nice to see a few other bird/wildlife guys/girls showing up around here. I don't really feel qualified to comment on all of the landscape shots here.

Very cool. Here is a site on flickr devoted to hungry herons: http://www.flickr.com/groups/ardeidae/discuss/72157594305242200/
additionally, I have seen a photo somewhere on the net of a heron eating a small groundhog. go figure.

Interesting shot and well-captured. Guess the goldfish wasn't too tasty. Heron are real fish killing machines, stealthy and cunning. We have a koi pond in front of our house. Often a heron will stand there 25 ft from the house, and wait for prey to surface. A few times a heron speared a large koi. Now the pond is covered with a heavy duty net. Despite that occassionally a heron will stand there, watch, and salivate. Had a small otter visit the pond once, but that's another story.
Harald

Dan,
Nice catch. (please excuse the pun ) What lens/camera where you using?

Thanks for the comments. Erik, I was using a Canon 10D, 1-400mm IS lense, handheld(this combo is virtually all I ever use).
I don't have the techs handy.

Nice photo of a more common than may be thought occurrence. I have a friend and fellow photographer who has this same photo only with an Osprey as the hunter.

BTW, here are the technicals of this image, stripped with Opanda iExif: (looks like the date/time was not set in camera . . .)
Model = Canon EOS 10D
Orientation = top/left
X Resolution = 72
Y Resolution = 72
Resolution Unit = inch
Software = Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0
Date Time = 2006-09-22 11:05:52
YCbCr Positioning = centered
Exif IFD Pointer = Offset: 220

[Camera]
Exposure Time = 1/350"
F Number = F8
ISO Speed Ratings = 400
Exif Version = Version 2.21
Date Time Original = 1980-01-01 00:07:02
Date Time Digitized = 1980-01-01 00:07:02
Components Configuration = YCbcr
Compressed Bits Per Pixel = 3
Shutter Speed Value = 8.45 TV
Aperture Value = 6 AV
Exposure Bias Value = ±0EV
Max Aperture Value = F5.6
Metering Mode = Pattern
Flash = Off
Focal Length = 330mm
User Comment =
Flashpix Version = Version 1.0
Color Space = sRGB
Exif Image Width = 612
Exif Image Height = 408
Focal Plane X Resolution = 3443.946
Focal Plane Y Resolution = 3442.017
Focal Plane Resolution Unit = inch
Sensing Method = One-chip color area sensor
File Source = DSC
Custom Rendered = Normal process
Exposure Mode = Auto exposure
White Balance = Auto white balance
Scene Capture Type = Normal