The bird is a fisherman

Temperatures were in the 90s recently when I made an afternoon trip to Mingo National Wildlife Refuge. I was hoping to see a baby whitetail deer, but they must have been quietly lying still in the shade somewhere.

The refuge was very quiet on this day. It was as if the wild animals were mimicking people staying home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I did see a few turkey vultures, a few raccoons and a brood of six young wood ducks trailing their mother through lily pad-covered water.

The great blue heron pictured here was easily the feature of the day. It stood like a statue in duckweed-choked water no more than 4 inches deep. Probably because of the heat, combined with his hunger, he seemed unafraid of me. He was all alone as I watched him fish for about 15 minutes. He made only one jab into the water as I watched. How he saw the little fish beneath the duckweed I do not know. I thanked him and moved on, while he stayed put and fished.