Theme: A mouth full...

[David Roach]

EOS R EF400DO I f8 1/800 ISO 800

With well worn and fading post nesting breeding plumage, this beauty gets good meal for self. While I like the environment, wish this beauty was further from the vegetation.

[Paul Burdett]

Hi David: What a catch! (photo included)...Do you want fries with that fish? . Looks similar to our White-faced Heron. TFS

[Colin Driscoll]

Great detail, surely it couldn't actually swallow that!

[John Mack]

A mouthful for sure. I don't really mind the environment that is how you see them up here. The bird is nice and sharp.

[Arthur Morris]

Sharp and cluttered. Was the fish alive when it was captured? It looks quite ratty at best ..

with love, a

[David Roach]

Great detail, surely it couldn't actually swallow that!

Thanks to all for greatly valued comments.
I was walking along and heard a very loud splash. In fact it was so loud I thought maybe a gator got something. Turned and saw this hunter with head neck and chest deep in the vegetation. Out the head pops with this huge wiggling and unfortunate meal speared with both upper and lower beak right behind the head. I thought for sure it would wiggle off as it was actually moving the herons head as the hunter walked back onto dry land just behind this location (where the catch was made). The GBH stabbed several times once it got it off it's beak. Then this beauty walked it back into the water (all bloody and good and dead) and dipped it a couple of times. This frame (one of many) was the last time it raised the meal then carefully aligned it in the beak (not like this frame) with top and bottom of the fish in the beak rather than sides. Head back and it was gone fast. In fact at 5fps the tip of the tail is all you see in next frame.
So, good eye Artie, it was a very fresh catch that was good and dead at this point. And yes Colin it easily swallowed this meal whole. I have many cluttered frames with all the vegetation and only posted this one for theme.

ps
Hey Colin, I recently watched a nature video where a GBH came up on a jack rabbit (as big as a medium sized dog) resting in a gully. The GBH proceeded to harshly stab/grab the rabbit about the head. Once motionless, down the hatch it went (head first also). This was a full grown jack rabbit that had to weigh more than the heron. So, these beauties will eat almost anything and are impressive hunters.

[gail bisson]

I would be quite happy with this frame.
What a cool sighting David.
Good DOF on the fish and the GBH.
Agree with you that BG is a bit cluttered but the action and prey certainly go a long way to make up for the BG!