Great Egret with Fish

When I was birding the neighborhood  a week ago and found all the ducks, I also came across a Great Egret that had just caught a fish in the Parmer Village pond. I took a few photos and also recorded some video. These birds stand about four feet tall and are very common on local bodies of water. They're just a little bit smaller than the Great Blue Herons which are also common here. Great Egrets hunt fish, insect larvae, or any other animal they can catch and swallow, by standing still or slowly walking through shallow water. I think it's amazing that a bird so large and striking is easily found along our creek. Here's a photo.

I think the fish it's holding is some kind of Mosquitofish, a member of the Gambusia genus. Click below to see the video I shot.

If you watch the video above, you see how fast and accurate this bird is with its long sharp bill. Remember this and never try to rescue an injured or trapped egret or heron unless you really know what you're doing. They'll try to stab your eye!

I'm hoping to post more short videos like this in the future. I've just started experimenting with my camera's video recording abilities and iMovie on my MacBook. It's a whole new world compared to photo processing!