I first saw this bird species in 2015 at St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge in Florida’s panhandle, where my attention was more on the alligators. I saw this one on our recent trip through Florida.
They’re magnificent — the tricolor herons, I mean, not the alligators — and like most herons they’re prone to long periods of little movement punctuated by flashes of blinding speed.
Isabel – I’ll bet the herons at St. Mark’s were also focused on the alligators.
John W
John – LOL. Yes, likely so. Here’s an interesting article about how it seems to play out between birds, alligators, and marauding mammals like raccoons.
Isabel – Thanks for the link to an interesting article. I wonder if Toronto would consider importing alligators to help with their raccoon problems. Alligators in the Jock River might also reduce the number of raccoons in the Barrhaven and Manotick suburbs.