I love this bird, I see it every day in the river in my city, here in Argentina we call it the witch heron! 🧙🏻♀️😍 I once saw her eat a snake! Your videos are great! 👏🏻 Thanks for sharing!
What a great video! I can't believe that heron ate 3 gophers! All three of them combined seem bigger than the bird! I am assuming the first 2 were dead before it swallowed them, just happened so fast! Eating a live gopher might be a deal breaker.. The quality of these videos is just spectacular!
Thanks. Yeah first I was amazed that the much larger Great Blue Heron could do it, then the smaller slimmer Great Egret could also hunt gophers and finally I was surprised these herons were so good at hunting gophers and they were able to swallow them whole.
My favorite species! I've seen them on the coast from San Diego, 400 miles N to Monterey. But they always seem to be zoned out, sitting quietly with neck retracted. Still, at almost 2' tall, they're truly impressive to see. Thanks for showing them in action. I didn't know they were active during the day. 😀
Thanks and you are welcome. It seems to me they usually are just sitting around but can become active when some good opportunities present themselves. They had recently cut the grass and weeds there so the bird took advantage of that. Also this spot was pretty close to the safety of the trees which is handy if they have a big gopher that would be tempting to a red tailed hawk. I also have videoed these guys fishing and I think 90% of daylight they don’t bother to fish but when the tide is right and or fish are available, the will happily try to catch them.
It amazes me to see how easily the Heron is able to kill the gophers with a few shakes and it's beak pressure . Great footage , you were as patient as the Heron in capturing this awesome video.
Fabulous footage! Thank you! I once watched a great blue heron trying to swallow a very large gopher it had caught. After juggling the gopher around in its beak while trying various angles over 10-15 minutes and failing, the heron had been unable to swallow it and I gave up watching and left. I suspect the gopher did not get swallowed.
Thanks. I have a couple old videos where it took the herons (great blue herons) at least a half hour but they finally got it done. I remember one big one that was so heavy the heron had to keep resting its neck. It’s amazing how big a gopher they can swallow.
You almost have enough data for your dissertation! Just kidding of course, but your films have shed some light on heron predation. Some wash their meal, others swallow it semi-alive, and it seems they all make sure the big gophers are dead before gong down the food tube.
That bird is really stunning. I’ve seen times when several photographers were taking pictures of it like paparazzi. I’m more of a heron paparazzi guy but it’s hard to miss a bird like that.
Imagine trying to take off a shirt that's way too tight and in the process you get stuck barely able to move your arms, now imagine the shirt is a tube of muscle that's actively pushing you deeper.
Thanks. Yeah I love my Canon R6 with my EF F4 400 mm DO lens. I think it makes very nice videos if I can get good lighting. Really it does pretty well in low light too.
Three gophers! Why? Why keep hunting? I am very intrigued by your observation that the hunting is sound based. There is so much external sound. Physiologically the bird seems built for perceiving high pitch sounds, but my intuition is that the gopher movement sounds are low pitched (I could be wrong). I wonder if the feet pick up these vibrations? There is such a focus with the head forward that makes me think that is where the sensing is taking place. I am captivated! Thanks Jim
Thanks Rod. I think at times they really seem to respond to something like a high pitched whistle. I suspect but don’t know that these gophers emit a sound that I can’t hear. I suspect their hearing is way better for both low and high. I think they are sensitive to the gophers moving around below them and like you said those are probably low frequencies. I’m not sure if they can feel vibration with their feet. Ive suspected that too. Some animals are able to do that. I know some songbird can eat a ton of food getting ready for their migration. It seems to me that herons are able to eat enormous amounts of food so I suspect they can build up fat stores when the food is abundant. I’ve seen this particular bird next to other night herons in ElDorado and this guy is built like Arnold Schwarzenegger compared to them even considering it has missing toes.
Wow the picture quality is amazing, these close up shots of this beautiful hunter looks stunning on a nice monitor in 4k. 🤓👌 A thought: According to wikipedia, a black crowned night heron weights 700-1000 grams, I'm not sure what species gopher but Ill guess these ones are 100-150 grams each or more. So it would swallow something whole that is about 15% of its own body weight. That's about the same as if a fully grown man could swallow a Corgi or sausage dog whole, and do that at least three times a day. How much energy must this bird consume? 🧐
Yeah their ability to eat so much has amazed and surprised me. I think that they are able to take advantage of times of plenty. Some songbird can do that with bugs and really increase their weight prior to migration. I don’t think these herons migrate but they do have times when prey is much easier to find.
@@tonywillingham8109 they are Botta’s Pocket Gophers. These were small to one medium sized. Yeah you are correct that some of them are much larger. I have a couple videos of gophers that were caught by great blue herons that took these much larger birds nearly an hour to swallow.
I have noticed that they usually grab the gophers by the throat. Maybe they can feel how much life they have in them, whether it is arteries or windpipe.
No it is a Botta’s Pocket Gopher. I’ve never seen a mole here in Southern California but I’ve seen hundreds of Pocket Gopher’s. Even their mounds show they are gophers. Gophers will push dirt to the side in a fan like mound and moles apparently are more cone shaped with hole in the middle. I’ve have not seen one of those.
We had a tree near to where I used to live where these birds roosted. If you parked there, there was a good chance that your car would be while washed.
I get that a lot but no they are actually Botta’s Pocket Gophers. Moles tend to eat insects and worms. Gophers eat plants. Some of these gophers were in the process of eating grass. Gophers also have distinctive mounds. Gophers do resemble voles but these types of gophers are very common in California.
But the gopher is alive. It could just dig its way out the birds stomach. It wont make it through the muscle but the stomach is thin enough and would kill them both in the process.
@@MegaFoobar honestly I always feel for those gophers. Many people really dislike gophers but to me they are animals that deserve respect. I find them amazing, interesting and adaptable but they are also the favorite food for lots of predators. I have been videoing herons for a couple years and I have been very impressed by their skill and abilities. I tend to worry about them if they don’t get enough to eat. I love documenting the lives of those birds but I have to suck up that emotion I feel for the gophers who met their end. At least they died so that the herons could continue to live.
I always wonder if there is any sense of taste when they eat or is to just a case of "It moves, I swallow."
After years of seeing them do their thing i've come to the conclusion birds might be the most savage in the whole animal kingdom🤔
RUclips has opened out eyes ont hings like this. Ruthless.
I love this bird, I see it every day in the river in my city, here in Argentina we call it the witch heron! 🧙🏻♀️😍 I once saw her eat a snake! Your videos are great! 👏🏻 Thanks for sharing!
That’s so cool that they live in Argentina. These birds are so smart and adaptable.
When your eyes are bigger than your stomach.
Thank you for recording and posting this valuable educational black crowned night heron video.
My pleasure. Thank you.
What a great video! I can't believe that heron ate 3 gophers! All three of them combined seem bigger than the bird! I am assuming the first 2 were dead before it swallowed them, just happened so fast! Eating a live gopher might be a deal breaker.. The quality of these videos is just spectacular!
Thanks. I think they were pretty well stilled before it swallowed them.
I think it was thinking you were its good luck charm! Lol. I love your stork videos and this one was great!
Thanks.
Great footage! I find it amazing how these birds can down the gophers in one sitting.
Thanks. Yeah first I was amazed that the much larger Great Blue Heron could do it, then the smaller slimmer Great Egret could also hunt gophers and finally I was surprised these herons were so good at hunting gophers and they were able to swallow them whole.
...meanwhile, from behind, a cat stalks the heron!
See my loafers, former gophers!
Excellent footage! That was one greedy heron!
Thanks
This is amazing, capturing this wildlife in its natural habitat. You should work for Nat Geo making documentaries.
My favorite species! I've seen them on the coast from San Diego, 400 miles N to Monterey. But they always seem to be zoned out, sitting quietly with neck retracted. Still, at almost 2' tall, they're truly impressive to see. Thanks for showing them in action. I didn't know they were active during the day. 😀
Thanks and you are welcome. It seems to me they usually are just sitting around but can become active when some good opportunities present themselves. They had recently cut the grass and weeds there so the bird took advantage of that. Also this spot was pretty close to the safety of the trees which is handy if they have a big gopher that would be tempting to a red tailed hawk. I also have videoed these guys fishing and I think 90% of daylight they don’t bother to fish but when the tide is right and or fish are available, the will happily try to catch them.
Jesus these herons can swallow their prey whole in seconds, with little effort. Very impressive birds
Imagine sitting in your living room watching TV; you get up to get a glass of water and boom!
You're in God's stomach
It amazes me to see how easily the Heron is able to kill the gophers with a few shakes and it's beak pressure . Great footage , you were as patient as the Heron in capturing this awesome video.
Thanks. I aspire to be half as patient and I only make it sometimes. This bird was impressive enough to keep my interest.
What a beautiful bird!❤
It really is!
Fabulous footage! Thank you! I once watched a great blue heron trying to swallow a very large gopher it had caught. After juggling the gopher around in its beak while trying various angles over 10-15 minutes and failing, the heron had been unable to swallow it and I gave up watching and left. I suspect the gopher did not get swallowed.
Thanks. I have a couple old videos where it took the herons (great blue herons) at least a half hour but they finally got it done. I remember one big one that was so heavy the heron had to keep resting its neck. It’s amazing how big a gopher they can swallow.
@@jimzenor9148 They're snake-like in that regard.
That last gopher was huge. What a big meal for the heron.
Last one was so scared he shat himself! That’s sad 🥲
Poor little gopher
It seems like it either crushes the skull or just suffocates it before the Heron swallows?
You almost have enough data for your dissertation! Just kidding of course, but your films have shed some light on heron predation. Some wash their meal, others swallow it semi-alive, and it seems they all make sure the big gophers are dead before gong down the food tube.
Great videos, thank you!!
My pleasure!
How gorgeous is the colouring on the vermillion flycatcher?!
That bird is really stunning. I’ve seen times when several photographers were taking pictures of it like paparazzi. I’m more of a heron paparazzi guy but it’s hard to miss a bird like that.
No wonder that the bird is so succesful at hunting, it does have a Sharingan after all🤔
What does a Black Crowned Day Heron catch?
you would think the gopher would use it's claws to try and dig it's way out of the birds belly
Imagine trying to take off a shirt that's way too tight and in the process you get stuck barely able to move your arms, now imagine the shirt is a tube of muscle that's actively pushing you deeper.
It surely has an appetite !
I love the quality of this! What did you use to capture?
Thanks. Yeah I love my Canon R6 with my EF F4 400 mm DO lens. I think it makes very nice videos if I can get good lighting. Really it does pretty well in low light too.
Three gophers! Why? Why keep hunting? I am very intrigued by your observation that the hunting is sound based. There is so much external sound. Physiologically the bird seems built for perceiving high pitch sounds, but my intuition is that the gopher movement sounds are low pitched (I could be wrong). I wonder if the feet pick up these vibrations? There is such a focus with the head forward that makes me think that is where the sensing is taking place. I am captivated! Thanks Jim
Thanks Rod. I think at times they really seem to respond to something like a high pitched whistle. I suspect but don’t know that these gophers emit a sound that I can’t hear. I suspect their hearing is way better for both low and high. I think they are sensitive to the gophers moving around below them and like you said those are probably low frequencies. I’m not sure if they can feel vibration with their feet. Ive suspected that too. Some animals are able to do that. I know some songbird can eat a ton of food getting ready for their migration. It seems to me that herons are able to eat enormous amounts of food so I suspect they can build up fat stores when the food is abundant. I’ve seen this particular bird next to other night herons in ElDorado and this guy is built like Arnold Schwarzenegger compared to them even considering it has missing toes.
Wow the picture quality is amazing, these close up shots of this beautiful hunter looks stunning on a nice monitor in 4k. 🤓👌
A thought: According to wikipedia, a black crowned night heron weights 700-1000 grams, I'm not sure what species gopher but Ill guess these ones are 100-150 grams each or more. So it would swallow something whole that is about 15% of its own body weight. That's about the same as if a fully grown man could swallow a Corgi or sausage dog whole, and do that at least three times a day. How much energy must this bird consume? 🧐
Yeah their ability to eat so much has amazed and surprised me. I think that they are able to take advantage of times of plenty. Some songbird can do that with bugs and really increase their weight prior to migration. I don’t think these herons migrate but they do have times when prey is much easier to find.
Excellent video! And that red eye! Poor gophers!
I’m glad I found your channel! Your videos are amazing! I noticed you mentioned the 605, is this in the Long Beach area?
Yes it is! It is in El Dorado Park.
Looks like a field mouse. Gophers are as big as that bird, or bigger.
@@tonywillingham8109 they are Botta’s Pocket Gophers. These were small to one medium sized. Yeah you are correct that some of them are much larger. I have a couple videos of gophers that were caught by great blue herons that took these much larger birds nearly an hour to swallow.
Poor hamster why operator didn’t help him
Can they even taste their food?
I’ve wondered that too. They sure seem to enjoy eating gophers.
Living dinosaur!
Does it eat that much daily?
No but it does take advantage of times of plenty.
Why cant they dig their way out?
I have noticed that they usually grab the gophers by the throat. Maybe they can feel how much life they have in them, whether it is arteries or windpipe.
@@jimzenor9148 Oh. I didnt think of that.
Pretty sure those are moles. Not gophers…
No it is a Botta’s Pocket Gopher. I’ve never seen a mole here in Southern California but I’ve seen hundreds of Pocket Gopher’s. Even their mounds show they are gophers. Gophers will push dirt to the side in a fan like mound and moles apparently are more cone shaped with hole in the middle. I’ve have not seen one of those.
Just hope that bird doesn’t poop on your car in 2 or 3 days.
We had a tree near to where I used to live where these birds roosted. If you parked there, there was a good chance that your car would be while washed.
Those are moles, not gophers.
I get that a lot but no they are actually Botta’s Pocket Gophers. Moles tend to eat insects and worms. Gophers eat plants. Some of these gophers were in the process of eating grass. Gophers also have distinctive mounds. Gophers do resemble voles but these types of gophers are very common in California.
@@jimzenor9148 Gophers also eat each other when they are road kill.
@@jimzenor9148 Gophers have open holes, moles have covered tunnels.
What a horrible fate. Minding your business when a 12 story tall raptor just plucks you up and swallows you whole lol
But the gopher is alive. It could just dig its way out the birds stomach.
It wont make it through the muscle but the stomach is thin enough and would kill them both in the process.
Anyone else feel sorry for the gophers?
@@MegaFoobar honestly I always feel for those gophers. Many people really dislike gophers but to me they are animals that deserve respect. I find them amazing, interesting and adaptable but they are also the favorite food for lots of predators. I have been videoing herons for a couple years and I have been very impressed by their skill and abilities. I tend to worry about them if they don’t get enough to eat. I love documenting the lives of those birds but I have to suck up that emotion I feel for the gophers who met their end. At least they died so that the herons could continue to live.
You mean moles don't you?