Blue Heron

On 4 October 2014, this Blue Heron was gracefully winging its way back and forth across Lake Theo at Caprock Canyons State Park near Quitaque, TX. They are a very patient "stand-and-wait" predator, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by. They'll eat fish, snakes, amphibians, and rodents, but I never did get to see him hunting. As you see here, they fly with their necks folded back over their shoulders with their legs extended behind them. The Blue Heron is quite common here in the panhandle.

Blue Heron