In May, I made a trip to the South Platte River. The river was flowing strongly as a result of releasing run-off from the upstream reservoir at Chatfield. I found this Great Blue Heron on the far bank of the river.
Here the heron was fishing for the next meal.
Soon the heron caught a fish. This looked like a big one about 16 inches in length.
I made several images of the heron as it was aligning the fish to swallow.
It was amazing to watch the fish make its way down the heron gullet!
Wow. What a huge fish!
Half way down to the stomach.
I never knew that this heron has such a huge capacity in its stomach. I have seen some videos where a Great Blue caught and swallowed a larger fish; it is much more interesting to see this in action.
That heron looks really satisfied. I wonder how long until the fish is digested and when the next meal will take place.