Great Shots

This was a brilliant position for photography , an elevated road overlooking a small lake , the sun and usually the wind hitting from behind so perfect for snapping any birds as they would take off into wind straight into the lens .

I was waiting for this Heron to finish mooching about & was ready for it to go when I saw something had caught its attention .

It suddenly lifted off crosswind over the lake so I started tracking it .

The Heron had targeted an errant Mallard Duckling that had strayed from its sibling group .

I watched the Heron climb before gliding silently downwards to attack .

The Duckling stood little chance and the Mother was taken by silent surprise .

This pic shows the Heron returning to its take off point with the mother Mallard in frantic but fruitless pursuit .

The Heron was not going to drop the Duckling & the mother could not leave the rest of the brood for more than a few seconds .

Herons possess good intelligence , they know ( as in this case ) to drown an air breathing creature before swallowing it , I think it slips down easier .

Conversely , I have seen them ( Egrets too ) carry a too large / too lively Fish to dry land and wait before swallowing it .

It also demonstrated the superb eyesight these birds have .

Anyway , I`m at risk of sounding like David Attenborough now so I`ll get off

Thanks for looking .