As I’m in a rush, we’ll have a truncated version of Reader’s Wildlife Photos today; fortunately, the stalwart Stephen Barnard sent three photos this morning:
Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss):
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula):
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias):
The kinglet is just fantastic ! Question: are the whitish things the bird seems interested to part of the bush, or some kind of camouflaged caterpillar, Geometrid style – or both ?
Just twigs, I believe.
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Diana, we need you to tell us what the Kinglet is saying.
“No, I am NOT gonna stick my neck out for nobody!”
I think you’re talking about the heron!
Whoops- you’re right. Most def M. Heron.
“I’d never have gotten that FitBit if I knew I couldn’t fly with it!”
😁
The heron – what a grouch.
One of the most dinosaurian birds.
They always seem to project a, “come any closer and I’ll peck a few new holes in your face” type of vibe don’t they?
Their personality matches their appearance.
I have been on the receiving end of a few of those pecks whilst handling herons and egrets. Many years ago now but I can vouch for the fact that they are well able to back up the threatening appearance with action!
When I was a little boy, my Grandmother lived in a stilt house on the shore of Little Blackwater Sound just NE of Key Largo. When my Grandmother would prepare seafood, which was often when we visited, I would collect the discarded shrimp heads or fish scraps to use for bait when I went fishing in the mangroves near her house. Every time I went fishing, a crafty egret would sneak up on me and eat half my bait when I wasn’t looking. Florida Keys egrets get fat out-smarting Florida Keys fisherman.
They’ve been known to do so! Never grab a heron if you don’t have control of the bill.
Haha! I’m sure that’s good advice.
The heron is almost certainly young one, hatched this year. It’s used to me and the camera and doesn’t instantly spook on sight like typical herons around here.
I used to really enjoy fishing for rainbow trout with my Gramps when I was a kid. So all these decades later I feel a little sentimental toward the one in the photo. 🙂
What a beautiful fish.
Great capture of the Kinglet running upon the air (cool name too…like a wee king).
That heron shot reminds me of Gandalf Greybeard.
Is that a silicon net? I haven’t seen those, but I imagine it’s a lot friendlier to fish scales.
It’s a “catch and release” net, intended to be as easy on the fish as possible. Some people consider catch-and-release fishing to be unethical, and it’s actually been banned in some places in Europe because of pressure from animal rights groups. This is misguided. Without catch-and-release practices fish populations would drastically decline (unless fishing is banned altogether). Responsible catch-and-release anglers use artificial flies with barbless hooks, tackle heavy enough to land the fish without undue stress, and correct handling of the fish, keeping it in the water as much as possible. If it’s done right the fatality rate is very low.
I agree with you. Catch and release esp. with barbless hooks is safe for fish in my experience. I didn’t know that it was banned in some places, that’s too bad.
The rationale I usually hear for banning catch and release is that’s it’s “playing” with the fish and is therefore less ethical than killing and consuming them. The angler is stressing and damaging the animal and possibly causing pain (there’s disagreement about that), all for his or her pleasure. That’s true enough, but where the argument breaks down is assuming that killing and eating the fish is more noble. I could see the argument if applied to subsistence fishing, but not to typical fly fishermen who spend thousands of dollars on gear and travel and lodging and guides. The catch-and-kill angler’s motivation for fishing would be precisely the same as the motivation of a catch-and-release angler, but he’d be doing more harm to the resource.
Love the fish & especially the Kinglet! Such a fantastic & different action shot. BTW, those orange feet are one way to be sure it’s a kinglet. (In areas where Hutton’s Vireo also occurs, they can be hard to differentiate.)