Green Heron

the smartest and smallest heron uses "tools"

It's clear that I was not meant to be a wildlife photographer--a job which requires not only a good zoom lens but also a quick trigger finger and the patience of Job. I have none of these. But I was able to grab a quick though blurry shot of this green heron at our shoreline today. About the size of crows, these birds travel from coastal areas of North and Central America to spend the summer with us. The cool thing about the green heron is that it is one of the few tool-using birds. It will drop bait onto the surface of the water and then grab the small fish that are attracted to the bait (crusts of bread, insects, twigs, feathers, earthworms). Smart bird!