How many tadpoles will this great blue heron eat in one minute? Take a gander, take a goose, take a guess . . . . then watch to see if you are right. Robert and I filmed this great blue heron in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, during a May spring day when the wetlands were flooded and the tadpoles were plentiful. I personally was amazed by the precision with which a heron can grab tadpoles. Think about that predatory specialization — watch how the heron’s eyes zero in, then watch the targeted grab with its specialized beak to nab those squirmy tadpoles from the water. Then think about yourself trying to grab one with your hands, or wide chopsticks. In the times in my life when I have caught tadpoles for a closer look at their marvelous metamorphosis stages before they become full-fledged frogs (and I have tried to catch many a tadpole, if I dare say so), I have often used a net. Watching this heron makes my need for a net seem hilariously pathetic.
Great Blue Heron Head in the Grasses
We watched this heron for about a half hour, and it continued to eat tadpoles over and over. This is just one clip of its amazing amphibious appetite.
