I stood in the shade of a field, when this guy appeared, and I decided to follow him.
So, join me into the sunlight to see where the bird was going.
It is a Grey Heron, and they are normally seen at water bodies, such as dams, wetlands, rivers, and lagoons. But not this one, as there is no water at this field. I have to say that there is a river about 300 meters from the field, and maybe, the bird decided to search for some rodents, or small snakes. I posted a heron with a snake, a long time ago.
Let's see what Wikipedia has to say about the grey heron.
The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water or stalking its prey through the shallows.
Source.
I was careful not to follow too closely, as he just kept on watching me.
He casually strode on and looked for prey.
Here is something interesting to know.
Grey herons are apex predators in their aquatic ecosystem.[16] Fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects are caught in shallow water with the heron's long bill. It has also been observed catching and killing juvenile birds such as ducklings, and occasionally takes birds up to the size of a water rail or white-throated rail. Small mammals such as water voles, rats, stoats and young rabbits are additionally caught. Recently, the grey heron has been observed to use the 'stress and wash' technique which is believed to make great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) and smooth newts (Lissotriton vulgaris) more palatable by flushing their skin free of toxins before consumption.
Source
I said in the bold area above that it was interesting because we don't have newts here in South Africa. Newts are Salamanders of the Amphibian family.
Kept glancing a look at me, as we followed on.
Lovely eyes, as you can see in the head shot.
Suddenly he stopped and looked up at the sky.
I also looked up, and there it was. I think it was some kind of falcon, but it was too high up to really see what it was.
Just in case he couldn't also see what it was, I just knew that he would take off.
And I was right and ready for the take off.
One is never too old to learn, and it is the first time that I read about the herons "stress and wash" technique to shake the newts, flushing and shaking the toxins off their skins before eating them. I wonder what the newt tastes like with the toxins on its skin? Amazingly, the herons know that toxins might be bad for them. I suppose that the stress part is when they catch the salamander and it releases toxins on its skin, which the heron then washes off in the water before eating it. Very interesting information, as I also don't know if fishermen catch salamanders, and if they know to wash the toxins off their skins.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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