When I was a youth, we were feeding the ducks at a pond. One of these herons was there. Never having seen one before, we tossed it some bread. The heron picked up the bread and put it in the water. Using the bread as bait, it caught six fish, the sixth being too big for it to swallow. It readjusted the bread between every fish to keep it in just the right spot.
I saw one do that with a big beef rib it took from the garbage. It ran the bone with some meat on it to the water and dropped it in and then waited watching over it. These birds are very clever.
The first time I saw a heron I was a child. I was out in the woods exploring a stream and stumbled upon a blue heron. It was taller than I was. I didn't even know they existed at the time, so it was a surprise to see such a large bird up close.
Spectacular! National Geo just gets its money shot and goes home. Jim stays the course. Not sure I would want to be a bloated black-crowned night-heron, but I like watching one get there. This species and the yellow-crowned are so interesting in their patient, deliberate ways.
I remember a couple years ago I saw one grab a beef rib from the garbage and run it to the water and it dropped it for bait. It then watched it presumably waiting for a crawdad or small fish. I’ve been a fan of them ever since.
You got to admire the patience of the bird. Rip gopher. It's not easy out there, but in your own way you're helping preserve our wonderful ecosystem by keeping these birds and others fed b
Yeah I agree. I probably have over a hundred videos of herons eating gophers and Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons nearly always use their dagger like bill. This night heron probably just doesn’t have enough weight to pull it off. They are probably a third of the weight of a great blue just throwing out a wild guesstimate.
what sticks out to me in the way the bird eats is how similar it is to reptiles/snakes. like when a pelican swallows a duck in one gulp, it's not so obvious b/c its beak is gigantic. and raptors pick pieces off their prey. but this little guy looked like it had to disengage his jaw to get that gopher(?) into its gullet.
The way this bird hunts on the ground, it's like watching a big cat hunt its prey. The stealth and the patience, I'm amazed that this is a bird doing all of this. What a vicious predator.
I have an abundance of squirrels, chipmunks and moles, sure could use one of these guys stopping by for a bite. The hawks and owls don't seem interested in them though. 🤷♀️
AWESOME footage. It's wild how snake-like the bird is, moving it's head up, then holding it perfectly still, as it pulls its body forward, then the process repeats.
Wow. Impressive that it could swallow that critter whole like that. Also impressive to get the whole thing on camera considering the bird was flying around. Good job.
Yeah I agree and the stakes are high. If they miss too many chances, they may not survive. I’ve seen this bird for at least 2 years and it is real bulky and strong so I think it takes advantage of its opportunities.
Birds are dinosaurs. Just imagine how smart T rex and other predatory dinosaurs really were. They were likely as smart as ravens and herons and likely could use tactics such as baiting prey.
Me: Dinosaurs are extinct A Rodent: Have you seen this thing? Seriously though, it always impresses me how they can keep their heads entirely motionless whilst the rest of the body moves!
Yeah we used to sing that on the bus to summer recreation. Ten tons of Greasy grimy gopher guts, little birdie turdy feel, pulverized monkey’s meat, and I forgot my spoon. (Or something like that). I thought about using that as a reference awhile ago but I didn’t think anyone would know what it was about.
Yeah most of my videos are Great Blue Herons hunting. It has been a goal of mine to capture night herons catching gophers for a couple years because that was when I first saw one eat one but I only managed to video the swallowing of that gopher. I saw them hunting and that was cool but they weren’t successful.
Funny my wife brings up Jane sometimes to make fun of my bird watching. I’m not nearly as snooty as Jane Hathaway. I like it best when the birds show me something impressive.
HE NEVER KNEW WHAT HIT HIM, WOW. BUT DAT BIRD'S MEAT IS TUFF OR MAYBE THE PERSON DAT COOKED DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOIN, IT WAS LIKE CHEWIN A BASEBALL MITT. ( 3 )
The footage you got was amaaaazing, thanks for sharing. It takes a lot of patience and focus to get that much on film... I'm in NorCal, and I vist McNears Beach several times a week. It's my second home ❤ There are several different species of Herons and Egrets, as well as geese and ducks. A wonderful variety Last Fall, though, I spotted one I'd never seen before. The (young) park rangers weren't even sure what it was. It was standing absolutely still at water's edge, like a statue I looked it up and I'm 99% sure it was a Night Heron. I guess up here they're a pretty rare sight, because as their name suggests, they only appear at dusk...?
OMG!,I know this place well, my dad flew his electric airplanes with his friends there, it's also the last time I seen him alive. My name is Bicycle Bob and I approved this message and I saw egrets doing this there.
Yeah you are right. It is very close to the model airplanes. Usually it is a Great Blue Heron or a Great Egret I see hunting here but I was quite happy to watch this heron.
That heron probably flew into the tree because a nearby hawk likely would have tried to steal its prey. It was smart to conceal itself among the tree’s branches and foliage.
That's usually what I do when I go to an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet - I load up my first plate with WAY too much food... and usually regret it an hour later.
Wow, I had no idea you are local. I pass by that area all the time through the San Gabriel River Bike Path. This area must've been next to El Dorado Park camping grounds.
Yeah this bird does frequent there. This video was taken in Area 3 which is north of Wardlow and very near the parking lot and the bike trail. I was actually running on the bike trail past there this morning about 4:30 am.
Yeah I really like this bird. I remember being impressed by the muscles and beefyness in this bird but honestly I avoided filming it because of its missing toes. Still I found myself always seeing it because it was out there hunting gophers. The other night herons were mostly eating bugs around the trash bins. It is ironic to me that the only night heron in the park that I can identify due to its missing toes is the one that I have been successful in videoing it catching gophers. I think it is a heron that really honed its hunting skills.
Yeah. I have watched a couple night herons hunting gophers on the other side of the park. Although they weren’t successful, they were moving their back side in a very extreme way yet they kept their head still. Great Egrets are really good at that too.
Pelicans watching from afar thinking to themselves: "Hmmm, I should try this on a Capybara!"
Now you know a pelican would eat a shih zhu if it could. 😂😂
When I was a youth, we were feeding the ducks at a pond. One of these herons was there. Never having seen one before, we tossed it some bread. The heron picked up the bread and put it in the water. Using the bread as bait, it caught six fish, the sixth being too big for it to swallow. It readjusted the bread between every fish to keep it in just the right spot.
I saw one do that with a big beef rib it took from the garbage. It ran the bone with some meat on it to the water and dropped it in and then waited watching over it. These birds are very clever.
@@jimzenor9148wow that’s crazy!
"Clever girl.."
Guess you didn't see it eating the ducklings of the ducks at the pond. That's what it loves to eat.
@@peterthx All I witnessed it eating was fish. I don't know why that fact seems to have disturbed you.
I’m glad these guys aren’t any bigger.
They’d be waiting for you to go out to the car on the way to work.
there were prehistoric creatures just like that. Look up Quetzalcoatlus. Basically a stork the size of a giraffe that could swallow a grown man whole.
I agree, the jurassic period is over.
Yeah because if they were and came after us. We’d extinct them.
There used to be Herons bigger than most men. They've been extinct since the Egyptian dynasty.
Heron in tree: "No, stop filming! You musn't see me like this!"
Just like watching a guy eat a Double Quarter Pounder without anything to drink. 😂
.....in one bite!
Stormy Daniels competition .
More like swallowing a 12 inch pizza whole
The first time I saw a heron I was a child. I was out in the woods exploring a stream and stumbled upon a blue heron. It was taller than I was. I didn't even know they existed at the time, so it was a surprise to see such a large bird up close.
Taller than you??
Thier are quiet a few heron species that can grow pretty tall. They'd easily tower over young kids.
You are lucky, you survived to write about you experience.
This bird is what the grounds keeper in Caddyshack needed
Heron*
The gophers friend was watching him get eaten as he safely danced in the ground hole to “ I’m alriiight” 🎶
Lol!
😂😂😂
The comments never disappoint
Birds make dinosaurs even more terrifying
I didn’t know I’d be this enthralled watching a bird eat but here I am. Instant follow
Thanks. I like to follow these guys too😊
@@jimzenor9148I think he’s saying that he followed you
@@cloppinyeah I know. I was kidding. I follow the bird and he follows me following the bird. Bad joke.
@@jimzenor9148 It’s alright
I’m glad the gopher and the bird became good friends and decided to move in and learn to fly from the inside
Spectacular! National Geo just gets its money shot and goes home. Jim stays the course. Not sure I would want to be a bloated black-crowned night-heron, but I like watching one get there.
This species and the yellow-crowned are so interesting in their patient, deliberate ways.
I remember a couple years ago I saw one grab a beef rib from the garbage and run it to the water and it dropped it for bait. It then watched it presumably waiting for a crawdad or small fish. I’ve been a fan of them ever since.
“Hungry Heron Hunts for Hearty Meal”
Props, friend, great footage. Good to see the night-heron get its reward and the pocket gopher get its due!
Title wasn't kidding!! Thanks for sharing as us in the UK don't see either this species of heron or Gophers.
I've seen a grey heron take a Coot in the UK.
You got to admire the patience of the bird. Rip gopher. It's not easy out there, but in your own way you're helping preserve our wonderful ecosystem by keeping these birds and others fed b
He is strangling it. I thought he would stab it. First time I have ever seen a bird do that😂
Yeah I agree. I probably have over a hundred videos of herons eating gophers and Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons nearly always use their dagger like bill. This night heron probably just doesn’t have enough weight to pull it off. They are probably a third of the weight of a great blue just throwing out a wild guesstimate.
These things really are dinosaurs man.
Ufff sooo very dangerous the dinosaurs? Eh...
All birds are..
@@Omega-wi6fl That's what I mean.
what sticks out to me in the way the bird eats is how similar it is to reptiles/snakes. like when a pelican swallows a duck in one gulp, it's not so obvious b/c its beak is gigantic. and raptors pick pieces off their prey. but this little guy looked like it had to disengage his jaw to get that gopher(?) into its gullet.
Um, no … they’re birds.
Beautiful looking bird and great capture as always Jim.
Thanks. This bird is really a pleasure to watch. It is full of surprises.
The way it holds its head still in space while moving its body puts any pop and lock dancer to shame.
Great egrets are really good at that.
The way this bird hunts on the ground, it's like watching a big cat hunt its prey. The stealth and the patience, I'm amazed that this is a bird doing all of this. What a vicious predator.
I’ve gained a lot of respect for herons in the last few years.
Great capture and story telling. I learn so much from each video.
Thanks. This guy is a real interesting bird. I learned a lot watching it. It helps that it is super easy to video.
Amazing video quality.
Thanks. It really helps that this bird lets me position myself where I want to go.
Heron became Russell Crowe in the movie gladiator
“are you not entertained”
I have an abundance of squirrels, chipmunks and moles, sure could use one of these guys stopping by for a bite. The hawks and owls don't seem interested in them though. 🤷♀️
I need these birds in my back lawn! Awesome footage.
Agreed. Chipmunks and moles.
@@jbonegwthe moles is more useful
Yup good job 👏 Blue Heron also is stunning
Thank you for your time and efforts. Great video
My pleasure and thanks.
AWESOME footage. It's wild how snake-like the bird is, moving it's head up, then holding it perfectly still, as it pulls its body forward, then the process repeats.
He was like: “I’m just gonna sit here and while”
One thing is for sure.. the heron never complains about hair in it's food.
Plot twist: gopher used those choppers to chew its way out the bird's stomach.
can you store it in your glove compartment or keep it in the trunk safely? Summer months???
That was very entertaining Jim. i feel for the gophers as well sometimes, i liked that you showed a soft side.
Can't believe he managed to swallow that! Holy cow!
Pretty cool stuff ,yeah a little sad but he dispatched it quickly and efficiently,Kudos Heron
Amazing how the head zooms ahead and remains totally immobile waiting for the body to catch up to it.
Wow. Impressive that it could swallow that critter whole like that. Also impressive to get the whole thing on camera considering the bird was flying around. Good job.
Hey Ron ! Enjoy your meal , ...
Huh. Now Im eyeing my parakeet suspiciously
That parakeet could do some damage to you
I call herons cats on stilts, it’s the way they stalk their prey.
Hah. It even takes its prey into a tree, like a leopard.
I love watching nature it ain't like they could order out
Yeah I agree and the stakes are high. If they miss too many chances, they may not survive. I’ve seen this bird for at least 2 years and it is real bulky and strong so I think it takes advantage of its opportunities.
Such patience and focus❤
I'd consider moving to where the Heron's ain't if I was a gopher.
The patchy grass gives the bird cover from its prey, and the noisy environment prevents his prey from hearing him walk around. Smart bird.
Heron is not a bird but is it noisy.
Birds are dinosaurs. Just imagine how smart T rex and other predatory dinosaurs really were. They were likely as smart as ravens and herons and likely could use tactics such as baiting prey.
First a gopher, next a golfer! 🏌️ 😂
I hope he doesn’t kill all the golfers😂
Me: Dinosaurs are extinct
A Rodent: Have you seen this thing?
Seriously though, it always impresses me how they can keep their heads entirely motionless whilst the rest of the body moves!
Yeah keeping their head still is a super power.
When I see things like this it reminds me that raptors 🦖 evolved into birds 🐦
Dad, what's that coming out the side of the gophers head?
His brains.
Oh.
Red Tail Hawk: Mmm, stuffed heron!
I watch grey herons in a river most Sundays they have some patience standing for hours on end just waiting for a fish to come by .
impressive photography. I imagine the heron despite being proud of its catch dread now having to swallow it whole.
This brought to mind an old ditty from kidhood .At least part of it. " Greasy grimy gopher grease and guts...."😅
Yeah we used to sing that on the bus to summer recreation. Ten tons of Greasy grimy gopher guts, little birdie turdy feel, pulverized monkey’s meat, and I forgot my spoon. (Or something like that). I thought about using that as a reference awhile ago but I didn’t think anyone would know what it was about.
@@jimzenor9148 😅 What a childhood memory you bring back to me !! Thanks for your reply!!! GOD bless you! 👍 😊
I've seen a great blue heron do this, but this guy looks quite a bit smaller. Amazing.
Yeah most of my videos are Great Blue Herons hunting. It has been a goal of mine to capture night herons catching gophers for a couple years because that was when I first saw one eat one but I only managed to video the swallowing of that gopher. I saw them hunting and that was cool but they weren’t successful.
to tiny preys like this, dinosaurs still exists
Wow, documentary film level shooting. Very interesting. Thanks!
Thanks. The heron was very cooperative that day.
That's some serious stomach acid
“You’re a beautiful bird but your breath is disgusting “.
It's got the look on it's face like I do when I eat too much. It looked like a robot when it kept it's head perfectly still on all axis.
See my loafers, former gophers!
Be glad we missed the herons cousins a couple million years ago
They don't even bother to open up the prey for its entrails, but elects to swallow it whole! 😮
I've see this happen first hand, I still can't process it
I got turned off of birds at one time watching Ms Hathaway the lady at the bank, Beverly Hillbillies 😂😂
Funny my wife brings up Jane sometimes to make fun of my bird watching. I’m not nearly as snooty as Jane Hathaway. I like it best when the birds show me something impressive.
Gr8 Worꓘ.
Wayyy Kool.
Thx a Ton for the Post.
HE NEVER KNEW WHAT HIT HIM, WOW. BUT DAT BIRD'S MEAT IS TUFF OR MAYBE THE PERSON DAT COOKED DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOIN, IT WAS LIKE CHEWIN A BASEBALL MITT. ( 3 )
I need some of those at my house,, Damn Ground squirrels have holes everywhere!! Occasionally a Hawk makes 💜💜 a fly through and gets a meal!!
Amazing video!!!!! Good job Mr birdie!!!!!!
Thank you!! And I thank the heron for being such a star.
The footage you got was amaaaazing, thanks for sharing. It takes a lot of patience and focus to get that much on film...
I'm in NorCal, and I vist McNears Beach several times a week. It's my second home ❤
There are several different species of Herons and Egrets, as well as geese and ducks. A wonderful variety
Last Fall, though, I spotted one I'd never seen before. The (young) park rangers weren't even sure what it was. It was standing absolutely still at water's edge, like a statue
I looked it up and I'm 99% sure it was a Night Heron. I guess up here they're a pretty rare sight, because as their name suggests, they only appear at dusk...?
They do seem to prefer to hunt in low light which makes videoing them a challenge.
What is your wildlife setup if you don’t mind me asking?
I have a Canon R6 and I was using my Canon EF 400 mm DO lens.
That Heron is BOSS!
amazing buddy thankyou for sharing that with us i love wildlife filming
You’re welcome and thank you.
A real true Heron (Hero) there
OMG!,I know this place well, my dad flew his electric airplanes with his friends there, it's also the last time I seen him alive. My name is Bicycle Bob and I approved this message and I saw egrets doing this there.
Yeah you are right. It is very close to the model airplanes. Usually it is a Great Blue Heron or a Great Egret I see hunting here but I was quite happy to watch this heron.
If it catches you, grab its throat. I saw it in a cartoon. It works😂
Great footage!
Wow it was watching its legs to see if they tried to grab ahold of the tree! Cool 😎
Оператор не даёт трапезничать😂,стесняюсь сказала птичка😂
Thanx man
Great catch
That heron probably flew into the tree because a nearby hawk likely would have tried to steal its prey. It was smart to conceal itself among the tree’s branches and foliage.
Yeah I agree. In fact I see a big Red Tailed Hawk that lands often on the electric power line towers very close to where I videoed that bird.
You showed it. Hawks are opportunistic feeders.
Yesterday we found many great Blue Heron nests, but we haven't uploaded them on UA-cam yet.
we are from Indonesia
That's usually what I do when I go to an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet - I load up my first plate with WAY too much food... and usually regret it an hour later.
Amazing catches
That's just brunch.
keep up the great content
Looks like a Bittern, same family right enough
Related story: I’ve seen bald eagles carry away house cats in busy neighborhoods.
Ouch. I have a cat so I definitely don’t want her to be eaten. I saw a coyote once eat a cat right in front of me.
Amazing footage!
Thanks a lot!
"Bastaaaaaaaaaaaaard!!"
- Gopher.
Nice camera work! 👏
@@appearoffline thanks. I was super happy how cooperative this bird was and I had some luck that it caught the gopher very close to me.
Wow, I had no idea you are local. I pass by that area all the time through the San Gabriel River Bike Path. This area must've been next to El Dorado Park camping grounds.
Yeah this bird does frequent there. This video was taken in Area 3 which is north of Wardlow and very near the parking lot and the bike trail. I was actually running on the bike trail past there this morning about 4:30 am.
@@jimzenor9148That is super early. You aren't too concerned about the homeless who sleep there?
People fail to realize that birds can fk things up. There was a time when we humans would be on the menu.
No kidding eh . Could you imagine a 6’ tall one !
If we were at BUSHWOOD"
The movie CADDYSHACK would have NEVER been made
Huge thing! Well done.
This Heron wants to Gopher more.😊😊😊😊
😂😂😂
Nice pun
That is one cool bird
Yeah I really like this bird. I remember being impressed by the muscles and beefyness in this bird but honestly I avoided filming it because of its missing toes. Still I found myself always seeing it because it was out there hunting gophers. The other night herons were mostly eating bugs around the trash bins. It is ironic to me that the only night heron in the park that I can identify due to its missing toes is the one that I have been successful in videoing it catching gophers. I think it is a heron that really honed its hunting skills.
It amazes me how the head is dead still while the back half is moving forward.
Yeah. I have watched a couple night herons hunting gophers on the other side of the park. Although they weren’t successful, they were moving their back side in a very extreme way yet they kept their head still. Great Egrets are really good at that too.
3:10 you're next cameraman! 🐦
I know it’s nature but I still feel bad for the little guy