Bait O' Eggs
06-21-2002, 11:29 PM
While shad fishing tonight I had the pleasure of watching a site that I have never seen.
I had a fishing partner that was successful and hungry at all the same time. A blue heron was sitting on a rock not far from me and was in a stalking stance as he hovered over the water. I watched him duck and bob his head as if he was going to take a smolt or something. I look away and when I look back he has a medium sized shad by its back in his beak. A blue heron does not have a very big body, the wing span is long, and the legs are long, but I doubt one of these birds weigh more than 10 pounds as they have no mass to them. This shad is doing the dying quiver, and I didnt think the heron had the strength to hold on. The bird was getting so shaken he kept losing his footing and was getting moved around by this shaking shad. After about 5 minutes the shad had lost its struggle and lay there quitely in the birds beak. The heron lay the shad down on the rock and I figured it would pick away at it until it was full, but no,... it picks the shad up by its head as if it is going to eat it whole.
I have seen TV footage of snakes eating rabbits and having this large lump in its belly. But this shad appeared to be bigger than the herons body. And dont forget how is it going to get it down that pencil sized neck that is about a foot long. The heron keeps making these swallowing type motions and the head of this shad is pretty much out of site, but there is a whole lot of shad hanging out there. We laugh for at least 5 minutes at this show, as this looks like somebody is trying to stuff a basketball down a garden hose. There is just no way that shad was going to fit down that pencil neck on the heron.
The bird just kept on making these swallowing motions and trying to get this fish down its neck. Still only the head is out of site and this big ol shad is flopping around out there like a 12 course meal.
When to our amazement the heron tips his head back and swallows that whole shad. You could see his neck swell up as the shad slid down. For a minute there I thought it was stuck in his neck, but you could see it just continually slide on down. The heron has his wings out or balance as his body weight probably just went up by 50%. His head was back and his eyes had this look, as what the he!! did I just eat :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: And boy is it gonna hurt next time I see that fish. :shocked:
The heron held this spread wing, head up and back, eyes bulging for a couple minutes with out moving. Then he flapped his wings and flew off down the river as if a miracle just didnt happen.
I was standing there in amazement as to what I just saw.
[ 06-21-2002, 11:32 PM: Message edited by: Bait O' Eggs ]
I had a fishing partner that was successful and hungry at all the same time. A blue heron was sitting on a rock not far from me and was in a stalking stance as he hovered over the water. I watched him duck and bob his head as if he was going to take a smolt or something. I look away and when I look back he has a medium sized shad by its back in his beak. A blue heron does not have a very big body, the wing span is long, and the legs are long, but I doubt one of these birds weigh more than 10 pounds as they have no mass to them. This shad is doing the dying quiver, and I didnt think the heron had the strength to hold on. The bird was getting so shaken he kept losing his footing and was getting moved around by this shaking shad. After about 5 minutes the shad had lost its struggle and lay there quitely in the birds beak. The heron lay the shad down on the rock and I figured it would pick away at it until it was full, but no,... it picks the shad up by its head as if it is going to eat it whole.
I have seen TV footage of snakes eating rabbits and having this large lump in its belly. But this shad appeared to be bigger than the herons body. And dont forget how is it going to get it down that pencil sized neck that is about a foot long. The heron keeps making these swallowing type motions and the head of this shad is pretty much out of site, but there is a whole lot of shad hanging out there. We laugh for at least 5 minutes at this show, as this looks like somebody is trying to stuff a basketball down a garden hose. There is just no way that shad was going to fit down that pencil neck on the heron.
The bird just kept on making these swallowing motions and trying to get this fish down its neck. Still only the head is out of site and this big ol shad is flopping around out there like a 12 course meal.
When to our amazement the heron tips his head back and swallows that whole shad. You could see his neck swell up as the shad slid down. For a minute there I thought it was stuck in his neck, but you could see it just continually slide on down. The heron has his wings out or balance as his body weight probably just went up by 50%. His head was back and his eyes had this look, as what the he!! did I just eat :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: And boy is it gonna hurt next time I see that fish. :shocked:
The heron held this spread wing, head up and back, eyes bulging for a couple minutes with out moving. Then he flapped his wings and flew off down the river as if a miracle just didnt happen.
I was standing there in amazement as to what I just saw.
[ 06-21-2002, 11:32 PM: Message edited by: Bait O' Eggs ]