[mou] Astonishing Green Heron Behaviour...

[Chris Fagyal]

This is kind of off-topic as this observation was based in Costa Rica, but =
I was wondering if anyone had seen anything like it in Minnesota.  This is =
absolutely incredible behaviour...Accounted below:

"I was touring up Ca=F1o Harold [Tortuguero NP] by electric motor just =
fifty meters upstream from two big Almendro trees (Dipteryx panamensis) =
when I observed, along with two Swiss-Italians I was guiding for, a lone =
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) standing on some water hyacinth and =
looking into the water. We stopped to silently observe it from a short =
distance. It was looking down into the water. Floating in the current =
directly in front of the heron was a cricket which was on its back with =
its legs moving in the air. It was unable to right itself and was probably =
injured. To my surprise the heron did not pick it up to eat it but was =
observing it closely as it floated slowly by. Suddenly when the cricket =
appeared to be almost out of reach the heron plucked it out of the water =
and placed it back in the water just slightly upstream. It again observed =
it closely as it floated by. After repeating this four or five times it =
suddenly lunged its head forward at the cricket catching a small fish =
which had come up to eat it. It then quickly swallowed the fish.=20

I asked my clients if it would be all right to continue observing the =
heron for a few minutes more and they agreed as they were just as =
surprised as I was to have witnessed this.

A short time later the bird flew over to the other side of the river and =
landed on the weeds on the far side. I followed it with the electric motor =
and we came upon it again within a short distance of less than ten meters. =
The heron was walking back away from the river towards the trees. I was =
observing it with my binoculars when it suddenly lunged forward to catch =
what turned out to be another cricket. I could clearly see through the =
binoculars that it was crushing the cricket repeatedly in its bill. It =
walked out to the edge of the river and placed the still live-and-kicking =
cricket in the water. It repeated the plucking and replacing routine with =
the cricket in the water and after a few tries caught another fish!"

Has anyone seen anything like this before?  Quite an astounding observation=
, and something I wish I could have seen.  A heron using "bait" to fish =
with!



Chris Fagyal
Senior Software Engineer
United Defense, L.P.
Fridley, MN
(763) 572-5320
chris.fagyal@udlp.com