Great Blue Heron

On this cold and snowy Minnesota day, I find myself dreaming about Florida. Audubon wrote that Florida birds were abundant and tame. Today the birds are less abundant, but they are often relatively tame—making Florida an an excellent photographic destination.

Great Blue Herons seem to have survived the onslaught of the 20th century despite plume hunters and widespread environmental degradation. One reason for their success is that heron rookeries are often located in areas that are difficult for predators to approach. They are also not picky eaters, preferring fish, but also consuming amphibians, rodents and other animals. Occasionally they even forage in fields, where unwary birders might mistake them for cranes.