Fluidr / WanaM3's "Tri-colored Heron 2024" set

Living on the wild side – not Gator Week #2

N 19 B 510 C 27 E Feb 6, 2024 F Feb 19, 2024

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This time it was about the young Tri-colored Heron that was taking his chances with what I think is mamma gator in the background. You have to admit that it makes for some interesting bokeh. The fact is that these intermediate sized herons and egrets often get quite close to these lumpy lizards on a routine basis. Not saying it doesn’t happen, but I have never seen a gator lunge at one of them.

Just as a footnote, this photo was taken on Armand Bayou just north of the Bay Area Boulevard bridge and about .2 of a mile from Bay Area Park. Going north from the park is a nice paddle, but we don’t find as many opportunities for photos as we do when paddle south and paddle up Horsepen Bayou. I’ll admit that I wasn’t disappointed with this capture, but the female alligator got spooked by my presence and launched heavily into the water frightening away the large male that was just a few feet up the bayou. I never got that shot. The female had her eye on me the entire time and paid little attention to the movements of the heron.

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Tags: WanaM3 Sony A7RV Sony A7RV Texas Pasadena Clear Lake City Armand Bayou bayou outdoors nature wildlife nature photography canoeing paddling animal reptile lizard lumpy lizard gator alligator predator apex predator Alligator mississippiensis bird heron juvenile TCH Tri-colored Heron Egretta tricolor

Searching for the clown in the canoe

N 25 B 445 C 25 E Feb 13, 2024 F Mar 11, 2024

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A Tri-colored Heron keeps watch over Horsepen Bayou in my absence. Will try to slip back into the flow of things here on Flickr and will try to leave some meaningfully comments on everyone’s photos as time permits. Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead.

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Tags: WanaM3 Sony A7RV Sony A7RV Texas Pasadena Clear Lake City Horsepen Bayou bayou outdoors nature wildlife nature photography canoeing paddling animal bird heron TCH Tri-colored Heron Egretta tricolor

In search of that next tasty tidbit

N 15 B 432 C 28 E Feb 13, 2024 F Apr 1, 2024

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Lance-A-Lot scours that mud flats along the banks of Horsepen Bayou for his next snack. This area is controlled by the tides and on my latest visit was completely under water. Tri-colored Heron foraging on the banks of Horsepen Bayou.

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Lance A Lot in fine form

N 19 B 509 C 24 E Mar 28, 2024 F Apr 16, 2024

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One of our resident Tri-colored Herons looking mighty dapper in his mating attire and doing a bit of foraging on the mud flats of Horsepen Bayou. A bit of a high tide which had covered the mud flats worked to his advantage as he scurried about while foraging. The beak and the lores on this species morph into a beautiful blue color during mating season and the eyes change to this deep red color as well. I call them all Lance A Lot because of that long beak.

I’ve included a photo of a TCH in non-breeding colors in the first comment box.

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Always searching for a bargain

N 19 B 408 C 21 E Mar 28, 2024 F Apr 22, 2024

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Lance A Lot grabs up a daily special on Horsepen Bayou and as he scoops up a twofer one deal on the baitfish. Tri-colored Heron in breeding plumage foraging on Horsepen Bayou.

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