Stolen Treasure

I saw this great egret pluck a fish out of the salt marsh yesterday afternoon but it turns out I was not the only one who noticed the capture. Almost immediately a great blue heron swooped in like a pirate to plunder the catch. This caused the startled egret to drop his fish in the mud…and as would be expected, an argument broke out as the egret was not willing to let his prize go without a fight. The heron snatched up the fish and the egret tried his best to grab it back but the heron had a tighter grip so as is quite often the case, the blue heron has his way and triumphantly flies off with the stolen treasure!! 

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

GBH Takes Fish From Egret

63 thoughts on “Stolen Treasure”

  2. Marvellous sequence Phil. Those blue herons really do seem to be the villains of the piece more often than not. I feel for the poor egret losing it’s lunch to a bully. There is no justice down in the salt marsh.. 😦

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  3. Is that Radar?  I saw a heron steal one from him last week!  Actually Radar had the fish, dropped it and then the heron got it.  Radar was MAD and chased him but heron gobbled it so fast it was gone before Radar got to him.  A comical sight.

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  8. Another great sequence – so good I suspect you may be somehow setting them to do all this for you. There seems to be mud everywhere – was there some water nearby where the fish was?

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    • Thanks, glad you like the pics. No set up shots here or in anything I ever photograph. Everything is exactly how it happened in nature and would have happened that way whether I was there or not.
      Although it was low tide, there is water everywhere. You can see some behind each bird. The oyster beds are a bit raised so the water is down below them a bit.
      Birds like this typically will walk or fly/hop out of the water and bring the fish onto land to deal with it. This way, if the bird drops the fish (which it often does) the fish can’t swim away.

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  11. …. Hmmm. The great egret wears a white hat – and the GBH has a mask. Coincidence? I think not! .. Earlier today, I saw an osprey swoop in and peel a fish right off an anhinga’s bill. Theft everywhere! Seeing your egret’s fish in the mud made me hungry — for pizza.

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    • Thank you very much Jan.
      Well they all have to eat. Some catch their own food, some let others do the work and take advantage.
      The GBH is a bird that often will catch it’s own. However, if it feels it can grab an easy meal it will jump on that opportunity.

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  15. Our winter lakes are drying up. I saw only one egret way out in the distance today… with a few ducks in the remaining puddles. Still not too late for the rains to turn up. Judging by the impressive clouds we could be filling up the pastures again. Otherwise we’re headed for a dry summer. So far it’s been a mild and relatively dry winter.

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    • Mild winter for us as well which is just the way I like it. Fortunately we have had some unusual (for us) rain. But that’s good too, I want the alligators to have plenty of water to swim around in.

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    • Yes poor egret indeed. They will often spend a lot of time catching a meal only to have it snatched away. I feel bad for them sometimes.
      The GBH is a good size bird and will usually win an argument such as this.

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  21. What a bully!! Why didn’t you intervene, Phil? I’m sure that heron would have listened to the voice of reason.. 😀 Actually I’m glad you stayed out of it and took these brilliant shots instead. 🙂

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    • Yes the GBH is often a bully, especially to the long suffering egrets.
      They probably don’t want me knocking about in their marsh mucking the whole place up. Best I think to stay out of their arguments and only be there to document the event. 🙂

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  23. Oh poor one, lost the treasure. Dear Phil, you are amazing, once again fascinated me your photographs. They are so beautiful, so beautiful… Just I wonder, where is this place, where are you living? You are so lucky to have them around you always… Thank you, have a nice day, love, nia

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    • Thanks you Nia for your very kind words!
      I am located along the South Carolina coast in the southeast United States. This marsh area is on the beach and about 10 mins. from where I live. 🙂

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      • WOW! 10 mins. You mean they are free and you can walk around there… Makes me fear now! I supposed that they are in the zoo or something like that but in nature. You are welcome and Thanks again, love, nia

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    • Thanks Molly! I liked how the egret kept his wings up during the whole thing until the GBH finally started to fly off and the egret knew it’s fish was lost for sure. Poor dejected egret. 😦

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