Green Herons at the wetlands......

We had a great day at the wetlands this week!  I could see as we drove into the parking lot that a Great Blue Heron was stalking the lake....always a good sign :-)

This particular heron was very spooky and flew away into a tree as soon as we headed out onto the boardwalk across the lake.

The water level is real low right now and the Evening Primrose (?) covers huge areas where the birds like to stalk for food.

Sitting right on the edge of the flowers was a Green Heron!  I've never had one let me get this close before.  I think that it is an immature one or first summer. 

A very beautiful bird and I was excited to get that close to it.

It decided it should move if I was going to walk past it, but just flew up on to the railing of the boardwalk a short ways in front of me....giving me more photos opportunity!  What an accommodating bird.  The spotty wings definitely make it a young one.

It decided to "fluff" up a bit.

As I approached that spot it went on around the railing to the far end.  Didn't seem to get the idea that I was going to have to cross the entire boardwalk eventually.

Then it flew down into the flowers to stalk something.

Ready to strike (I thought it was hiding from me at first :-)

Caught something, but I can't tell what.  Looks like a big dragonfly or something of that nature?

However, I wouldn't think a dragonfly would require this big swallow. 

We headed back through the woods and were taking photos of the turtles on the logs in the back part of the wetlands, when another Green Heron flew over and landed on the turtle log!

I think this one looks older....more reddish color and the crest is more obvious.

My last view of him.....sitting on this stick where he could watch all that was there. This is a bird that I don't often get to see, so I was thrilled to get some close up photos for a change.