Tricolored Heron Fishing

Earlier this week I came upon this colorful tricolored heron that was fishing in the salt marsh. The tricolored is approximately half the size of a great blue heron and this one is in breeding color which you can tell by it’s bright blue bill, deep red eye, white head plumes, and reddish colored back plumes.

When I first saw the tri it was very close to me as you can see in the first photo. However, after I made exactly two frames, some people came by and scared the bird back a bit farther into the marsh where it continued to fish. It didn’t take long for it to come up with a tasty fish snack, which it promptly brought back into the reeds to enjoy!

58 thoughts on “Tricolored Heron Fishing”

toughlittlebirds on April 12, 2013 at 6:56 pm said:

Wow, the bill and the throat patch are incredible!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:42 am said:
  
  It is a cool looking bird!
  
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pixelspielerei on April 12, 2013 at 7:00 pm said:

Oh, is he eating with sticks … It nearly looks like! 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:42 am said:
  
  Ha, yes it does look like that!
  
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einfachtilda on April 12, 2013 at 7:03 pm said:

Ist der schön!!!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:52 am said:
  
  Ich bin froh, dass du wie auf den Fotos!
  
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lylekrahn on April 12, 2013 at 7:28 pm said:

Beautiful. Nothing quite like snack time.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:42 am said:
  
  Oh well sure, you gotta love snack time.
  
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Andrew on April 12, 2013 at 8:16 pm said:

What a gorgeous bird. Such a shame it was spooked.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:43 am said:
  
  It is a very nice looking bird and I often wish people would try to be a bit more respecting of the wildlife.
  
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Bella Remy Photography on April 12, 2013 at 8:19 pm said:

It’s as if all of the wildlife in the swamp know you well and want to be included in your art gallery. Stunning images and I love his breeding color.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:44 am said:
  
  Thanks Emily, I was happy to see the cool little tri and hope he was happy to see me. 🙂
  
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edithlevyphotography on April 12, 2013 at 9:48 pm said:

I’ve never seen a tri-coloured heron. Great shots Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:44 am said:
  
  Glad I could introduce you to this one, thanks Edith.
  
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Molly Argo on April 12, 2013 at 10:07 pm said:

Absolutely beautiful! My Tri’s are also in breeding plumage and I LOVE it!!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:45 am said:
  
  Always a treat to see these colorful and active birds in breeding plumage isn’t it?!
  
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Charlie@Seattle Trekker on April 13, 2013 at 12:37 am said:

Fish snack my favorite…loved the phtos and really enjoy watching the community in the marsh change.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:45 am said:
  
  Thanks very much glad you enjoy seeing the variety of wildlife that visits our area!
  
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meyer23 on April 13, 2013 at 4:08 am said:

Great story and wonderful pics.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:46 am said:
  
  Thank you very much I appreciate that.
  
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janmasyn on April 13, 2013 at 4:46 am said:

Absolutely stunning. What a beautiful bird.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:46 am said:
  
  Thanks Jan, it is a colorful and interesting bird for sure,
  
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Maggie Davey on April 13, 2013 at 6:11 am said:

I do love the colours of this bird and the background in these shots shows it off to perfection – brilliant, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:47 am said:
  
  Thank you Maggie, so glad you enjoyed seeing the tri in this setting!
  
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photographybyjoylene on April 13, 2013 at 8:01 am said:

Phil, your photos are always so beautiful and SHARP! Do you always use a tripod?

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:49 am said:
  
  Thanks very much! I almost always have a tripod with me but usually only use it for stationary subjects. For birds flying or any other action I always shoot that hand held. In a case like this I could keep the camera on the tripod but I honestly don’t remember if I did that with these or not.
  
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  - photographybyjoylene on May 7, 2013 at 7:57 am said:
    
    Well, you must have a steady hand – your photos are always so crisp and cleanly focused!
    
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Sue on April 13, 2013 at 8:48 am said:

He’s a real beauty!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:49 am said:
  
  He is quite an attractive bird for sure!
  
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zannyro on April 13, 2013 at 8:57 am said:

I wanted to click “like” twice..but the button won’t let me do that..awesome!!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:50 am said:
  
  Well I greatly appreciate you looking and your very kind comments!
  
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  - zannyro on April 13, 2013 at 12:06 pm said:
    
    🙂
    
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RobynG on April 13, 2013 at 8:58 am said:

Such a pretty Heron Phil. Great captures. Blessings, Robyn

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:50 am said:
  
  Thanks very much Robyn I’m so happy you enjoyed these photos!
  
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Elsa Naumann on April 13, 2013 at 9:46 am said:

What a beautiful bird!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:57 am said:
  
  Yes it is an attractive and colorful bird for sure! Thanks very much for looking and commenting!
  
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adinparadise on April 13, 2013 at 12:22 pm said:

I would love to see one of these, Phil. I never knew there was such a heron. Thanks so much for the amazing photos. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 4:56 pm said:
  
  Thank you Sylvia, they are not an uncommon bird and I expect you could track one down when you get back to Florida.
  
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Chillbrook on April 13, 2013 at 1:07 pm said:

Very colourful character Phil. Smashing photos.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 4:56 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Adrian and yes he is a cute little guy!
  
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Jeff | Planet Bell on April 13, 2013 at 2:59 pm said:

Beautiful bird. It makes me miss Florida.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 4:57 pm said:
  
  It is a very colorful bird for sure. I am in the coastal South Carolina area. 🙂
  
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Paula on April 13, 2013 at 6:00 pm said:

That first shot is incredible :D.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 4:58 pm said:
  
  I wish the noisy people did not scare him away when he was that close, I wanted more photos of him then but oh well…
  
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Tricia A. Mitchell on April 14, 2013 at 4:48 am said:

Phil, wonderful captures. I’m curious – what kind of camera and lens do you typically use?

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 4:58 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Tricia! I use a Canon 7D typically with a Canon 300 f4 with a 1.4 extender attached.
  
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Dusty Roads on April 14, 2013 at 11:10 am said:

I’ve seen these Tri Colored Herons before but never in breeding colors. Very pretty bird. Nice shots 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 4:59 pm said:
  
  I was happy to see this one in breeding color as it’s not very common for our area. Thanks for looking!
  
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Laurie MacBride, Eye on Environment on April 14, 2013 at 11:54 am said:

Lovely shots, Phil – and what an interesting bird. That red eye is amazing! Kind of towhee-like, but not so aggressive-looking as a towhee.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 5:00 pm said:
  
  THanks so much! Yes that deep red eye color is really something special!
  
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Deb W. Trotter on April 14, 2013 at 4:19 pm said:

Gorgeous bird. Nice photos!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 5:00 pm said:
  
  He is a good looking bird! Thanks I’m happy you liked the pics!
  
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Katariina Partala on April 15, 2013 at 3:13 am said:

The blue colour looks really good on him!! A beautiful bird indeed 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 5:00 pm said:
  
  Yes the blue suits him very well!
  
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Fergiemoto on April 15, 2013 at 7:24 pm said:

That’s a beautiful bird!
Excellent photos of it fishing!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 5:01 pm said:
  
  It is a very pretty bird and I appreciate you looking and commenting!
  
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theforagingphotographer on April 17, 2013 at 3:58 am said:

What a beautiful, comical little bird!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 19, 2013 at 5:01 pm said:
  
  It is a pretty bird and they are fun to watch for sure Lucy!
  
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