Great Blue Heron standing in shallow water with its bill wide open and tongue raised, neck stretched up.

Great Blue Heron Struggling With A Sunfish

by

One morning at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, I watched a great blue heron struggling with an ambitious catch. At about 8:30 a.m. on May 7, 2021, the heron caught a sunfish, and at first everything looked normal. Then the bird’s behavior changed, and I stayed to watch.

Great Blue Heron standing in shallow water with its bill wide open and tongue raised, neck stretched up.
The Great Blue Heron struggles with something lodged in its throat after catching a large sunfish at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.

A Great Blue Heron Struggling To Work The Fish Down

The sunfish shimmered with muted earthy tones in the morning light, and the heron looked like it had snagged breakfast. Herons are skilled fishers, and this one went about it the usual way.

After some time, though, the heron’s neck started moving in jerky, uncomfortable motions. Its long neck twisted and shifted in an awkward way, as if it were trying to work something out. It looked like the fish might be stuck in its throat. The bird kept adjusting its neck, bill open, and the struggle went on while I watched.

Great Blue Heron in shallow water with its head lowered and bill open, tongue hanging down.
Adjusting its neck, the heron attempts to dislodge whatever is stuck. A rare glimpse of nature’s challenges up close.

Watching From The Truck Near Tuff Pond

I sat in my truck near Tuff Pond and rested the camera on a beanbag over the window. From there I had a clear view without disturbing the bird. The long lens let me see every detail of what the heron was doing.

I shot with my Fujifilm X-T3 and a telephoto lens. The morning light lit up the heron’s gray plumage, and I could follow each twist of its neck as it worked.

  • Camera: Fujifilm X-T3
  • Lens: telephoto lens
  • ISO: 400
  • Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec

I Never Saw How It Ended

I watched for quite some time, and I never saw the heron settle the matter. It did not cough the fish up while I was there, and I left without knowing how it came out.

Herons are built for catching fish. It is what they do to survive. But a catch can still be too much to handle. Moments like this one show both sides of the wild, the success and the struggle, and protected places like Sequoyah are where you get to see them up close. I told the fuller story of this same encounter, with more photos, here: Great Blue Heron with a Sunfish.