Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer
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Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer
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Topic: Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer (Read 278 times))
Nvreloader
GTA Senior Contributor
Posts: 4246
Real Name: Don
Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer
«
on:
May 10, 2021, 12:27:04 PM »
Guys
I just spent the last hour watching a Big Blue Heron at a 100 yds or less thru the 15x60x spotting scope, helping with rodent control.
The farmer just started flood irrigating for the first time this year,
when they do that it brings up ALL ground borrowing/hiding critters like mice/gophers, gopher snakes,
all kind of bugs of every description that don't like water etc.
All kinds of critters and birds show up, from Hawks, Ravens, Seagulls, Black Ibis, Curlews etc etc,
and throw in a couple of Yeller dog pups etc.
This Blue Heron was crouching down and sneaking thru the hay that is about 8-10" high right now,
then it would strike at something in the hay ground cover, then throw it's head up and swallow what it had caught.
I had to get the spotting scope set up as I couldn't see what it was catching, it turned out that there were numerous mice,
being flooded out and swimming for their lives, this Blue Heron just caught at least a dozen or more mice,
and one big gopher...........
It (the Heron) was high stepping thru the water/hay cover catching mice right and left, it was quite a show to see.
I have watched them catch gopher in the winter time when the open water sources were frozen over,
that sharp beak was used as a spear and then the Heron would throw the gopher off run over and stab it several times,
and then down the hatch it would go.
There was quite a show be put on, the Big Blue Heron, at least 2 different Red Tailed hawks swooping thru,
half a dozen Ravens raising heck with all the other birds, several seagulls etc.
The birds would follow the front wave of the water chasing/catching everything being flooded out.
"Chance" and all my Assuies goes ballistic catching gophers on the first year irrigations,
they come in muddy wet and tired after wards.
The better half just got a new 1-1/2yr German Shepard pup,
"Chance" will properly trained "Sage III", on the art of gopher catching etc.............
That's going to be fun watching "Sage III" his first gopher catch, I'll bet he have a couple of tooth marks on his snot locker...............
By, I gotta get my mud boots on....................
"Chance is a dancing at the back door, watching the birds work.
Tia,
Don
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Western NV
4 Sheridan 64/67 yr models - 20 cal/Hammerli 850 Air Mag -17 cal x 2, + 22 cal /QB-79 - 22 cal /Guantlet - 22 cal / Crosman 150 - 22 cal, Second Variant Model / Crosman 160 - 1st Variant Model - 22 cal /MRod Varmint 22 cal /Sentry 705-2 - 22 cal /Sentry 705 - 9T - 25 cal / Dar 17 cal /22 cal Discovery / Dragon Fly II 22 cal / Diana Storm Rider 17 and 22 cal /
CF 4500 45 min SCBA tanks x 3, w/SB F-10 compressor
"Speeds fine, but Accuracy is final"
"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker,
It is time to restore the American precept, that each individual is accountable for their actions."
Ronald Reagan
ranchibi
GTA Senior Contributor
Posts: 9351
yes
Real Name: Randall
Re: Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer
«
Reply #1 on:
May 10, 2021, 06:15:28 PM »
Don, that must have been a spectacle to behold....National Geo from a spotting scope! Awesome stuff!
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U.S. CA
JSAR Raptor .22 TJ slug barrel Discovery HD 5-20X50 SFIR FFP
RAW HM1000x LRT Chassis .22 Athlon Ares BTR 2.5-15x50 FFP MOA APLR3 Gen2
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PRod Discovery HD 4-20x50 FFP SFIR
Nvreloader
GTA Senior Contributor
Posts: 4246
Real Name: Don
Re: Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer
«
Reply #2 on:
May 11, 2021, 12:47:46 AM »
Thanks Randall
Took the Boys out, Chance and Sage for a couple hours of gopher hunting,
all I can say is the Blue Heron is a better hunter, than ALL 3 of us,
Chance found one gopher and that was all,
even the farmer was surprized at the lack of critter being flooded out.....
Tia,
Don
Logged
Western NV
4 Sheridan 64/67 yr models - 20 cal/Hammerli 850 Air Mag -17 cal x 2, + 22 cal /QB-79 - 22 cal /Guantlet - 22 cal / Crosman 150 - 22 cal, Second Variant Model / Crosman 160 - 1st Variant Model - 22 cal /MRod Varmint 22 cal /Sentry 705-2 - 22 cal /Sentry 705 - 9T - 25 cal / Dar 17 cal /22 cal Discovery / Dragon Fly II 22 cal / Diana Storm Rider 17 and 22 cal /
CF 4500 45 min SCBA tanks x 3, w/SB F-10 compressor
"Speeds fine, but Accuracy is final"
"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker,
It is time to restore the American precept, that each individual is accountable for their actions."
Ronald Reagan
ranchibi
GTA Senior Contributor
Posts: 9351
yes
Real Name: Randall
Re: Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer
«
Reply #3 on:
May 11, 2021, 09:35:13 PM »
Don, you’re welcome and thank you...I do luv nature even though I enjoy pesting, but, the pesting has reasons for it! The Blue heron is a natural born hunter and would out hunt you, me, Chance & Sage with our PCP’’s! LOL! Maybe some of the critters didn’t make it out of their holes before passing away or got stuck in there to drown....h’mmm....still a sight to behold seeing that heron hunt!
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U.S. CA
JSAR Raptor .22 TJ slug barrel Discovery HD 5-20X50 SFIR FFP
RAW HM1000x LRT Chassis .22 Athlon Ares BTR 2.5-15x50 FFP MOA APLR3 Gen2
Beeman P17
PRod Discovery HD 4-20x50 FFP SFIR
JuryRigger
NUAH Club Member
GTA Senior Contributor
Posts: 4007
Pop-Whiz-Clunk! :D
Real Name: Jesse
Re: Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer
«
Reply #4 on:
May 11, 2021, 10:03:28 PM »
Sounds like it was quite a show!
Jesse
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"Genius errs, if possible, more badly than pedantry. But mathematics, properly directed, cannot fail"-Captain Nemo
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Great Big Blue Heron helping the farmer