The Not-So-Fishy Tale of an Out-of-Luck Heron

You know it's a tough day when you see a great blue heron perched like this one at the base of a big ol' cypress tree without being able to catch a thing for lunch. Yet, that's exactly what I witnessed firsthand today down at the point beside the ramp at West Neck Marina.

The heron stood in this same spot for nearly 45 minutes--with no joy--before taking off for another location. And that was after I initially had watched him stealthily stalk a long stretch of shoreline, also without finding any lunch.

With less than 2 feet of water showing on the gauge at the ramp, I thought this heron surely would leave with a full belly. And, he very well may have found some tasty morsels somewhere else, but while I observed from a distance, there was no sign of any fish-catching going on by this bird.

Now the same couldn't be said about this old-timer, who was braving today's elements to fish from the bank. I saw him bait up with worms, cast his line out into the channel, and moments later, catch a small bream on several occasions. He tossed all of his fish into a bucket, so I feel sure they were destined to become table fare--if not tonight, then at some point in the future.

The only other activity at West Neck Marina today was a kayaker--and, no, it wasn't Charlie--who launched at the ramp this afternoon. The last I saw of him was when he turned and headed for the area I like to refer to as "Charlie's Point." Perhaps he's been reading your blog and looking at your videos, Charlie.

In any event, I only could conclude that it was a slow day--one in which there seemed to be a lot more fishing than catching going on overall.

For the benefit of those who like to look at pictures, here are some more shots I took of the heron today. As I said, he stayed in the same spot for several minutes.