I set you up last Friday by posting a video that showed Wels Catfish in Europe snatching pigeons off of river sandbars, and I postulated that our beautifully ugly Flathead Catfish might do the same thing (It’s A Fish Eat Pigeon World).
This Friday, the birds turn the tables!
I am NOT a bird biologist, and I am not sure where that video was taken. I do know that is some type of small Heron, I am pretty sure a Green Heron. Green Herons are found in Nebraska and if you read this description of the birds, you will find that it is not unusual for them to use “tools”, to bait their prey, Nebraska Bird Library, Green Heron. How in the world did those bird brains figure that out?
Yes, I am very partial to fish, but no, I am not about to start a crusade against Green Herons. There are plenty of small fish to go around, but I can understand that it would be a concern when those birds show up on the edge of a hatchery pond! Just make sure they do not have any access to bread, or fish feed!
If you spend any time swapping lies and stories with other hunters, anglers, and trappers, you will find that not all of those stories are about fish, fur, or game taken. A lot of the stories are the cool things seen and experienced while we are in the field and on the water. Cannot say I have seen a Green Heron using bait to catch fish, but I do know the more time you spend in the field and on the water, especially time spent sneaking around employing your hunter instincts, the more “cool” things you see and experience.
I would close this post with a picture of a Heron that I had snapped. I had a great opportunity to snap that photo once after a day of fishing. I encountered the bird feeding in a small stream and was plenty close to get a good shot. Of course you know what happened. The bird stared at me, I stared at it, slowly I reached for the camera, was just getting in position to snap the picture, and it flew. So, I will close with a photo from the Nebraska Bird Library, it was labeled as a NEBRASKAland photo.
Have a great weekend, get out there, GO FISH! Go hunt, see what you can see!
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