Nature: Bountiful but brutal, Great blue herons of Wakodahatchee
Wakodahatchee is a remarkable preserve of Everglades like swamp, located in Delray Beach, FL. The boardwalk there goes past several nesting islands, as well as through marshy grasses that support a wide range of the local birdlife, reptiles, and mammals.
On the islands, great blues, anhingas, and numerous other species nest in large colonies. We had brought our son and his oldest daughter to see the baby great blue heron nest that was very near the first gazebo, and which afforded excellent views of the approximately one week old babies.
After watching for a while, we walked the boardwalk circuit, to see whatever else there was of interest. On the far side, my son called my attention to a great blue approximately 15 to 20 feet from the boardwalk with a large mammal in its mouth. In the ensuing five minutes or so, I took approximately 80 pictures of the drama that unfolded, with a heron having captured this large rodent that had two babies still clinging to its nipples. The mother muskrat was dead - I suspect that the heron had either crushed its neck or broken the neck with its bill, but the young were still kicking.
Initial attempts involved repositioning the heron with the goal of allowing it to be swallowed. This included dipping dinner into the water, manipulating it with the bill and trying over and over. We were concerned that given the size of the prey, this would either be impossible, or that the heron would choke to death in the process. Jokingly, we suggested that our son (a gastroenterologist) might have to come to the rescue to remove this foreign body. However, eventually, the muskrat was oriented for its head first slide into the mouth and neck, and down it went.
As we watched, we were uncertain regarding what was being eaten. My initial reaction was muskrat - based upon shape, fur, etc. However, as I thought about it, this was too small for muskrat, at least what I am used to seeing in New England. I thought about other rodents, various species of southern rats, etc. After the fact searching on the web, revealed this to be a round tailed muskrat (Neofiber alleni), which is not only common in the Florida swamps but relatively abundant. According to one web source there may be as many as 50 or more per acre.
The reaction to these pictures has been mixed: some horror at the cruelty of nature, as the heron killed the mother muskrat and devoured her and her babies, yet there is also a fascination that if we are going to enjoy and welcome the beauty of the herons, the baby herons must be fed... And it takes a lot of food to support the herons, egrets, etc. "It's a jungle out there".
Additional photos from this event at: http://michaelross.zenfolio.com/p825533235
Other pictures from Wakodahatchee and nearby Loxahatchee and Green Cay at: http://michaelross.zenfolio.com/f625047364
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