February 14 – My Nature Journal
2026-02-14 Nature Journal
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Hunting behavior in Great Blue Herons is very easy to observe in my area, thanks to the birds’ abundance, their size, and their visibility. They wade in freshwater ponds and lakes and strike at a wide variety of fish, amphibians, and insects for food.
This particular bird pierced the water’s surface like a harpoon and emerged with this very large fish.
Even after years of watching Great Blue Herons and other fish-eating birds like Double-crested Cormorants, I remain amazed at the sheer size of some of the prey these birds can swallow.
The fish struggled quite a bit (as one might imagine) as the bird raised it out of the water. The Great Blue Heron flipped the fish into the air and re-caught it several times.
Twice, I was sure the heron was going to drop the fish and it might get away. But Great Blue Herons aim their long, pointed bills with remarkable accuracy and this one recaptured the flailing fish neatly—almost casually—every time.
Eventually, the Great Blue Heron positioned the fish so that its head was pointed towards the heron’s throat. Positioning fish head-first is a life-or-death matter for Great Blue Herons. These birds swallow fish whole and the fins of many fish species contain sharp spines.
If swallowed tail-first, fish can choke herons to death by flaring their fin spines and lodging themselves in the birds’ throats. But when swallowed head-first, their fin spines compress flat against the fish’s bodies, neutralizing the fish’s only active defense.
Once the Great Blue Heron had the fish positioned properly, it titled its head back and gulped. The fish slid down its throat and formed a large knob that traveled ever-so-slowly down the heron’s long, sinuous throat.
In moments, the fish was gone, leaving the Great Blue Heron looking as placid and statuesque as ever.
If much better fed.
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
This male Bufflehead and his two female companions were the only two Buffleheads I spotted on the lake today. The three dove for fish in the middle of the lake and kept close to each other.
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
I spotted one of the two adult Bald Eagles that hunt frequently at this lake several times. Unfortunately, the eagle was on the far side from my position every time.
Every. Single. Time.
Finally, I snapped this shot out of sheer frustration.
At least I can prove to myself that I saw it.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
This male Red-bellied Woodpecker winged its way to this nest hole at speed and clung to the trunk just below the hole.
His female poked her head out, seemed to confirm that her mate had arrived, and darted away, presumably to forage for her own lunch. The male slipped into the nest hole immediately, then poked his head out for a quick look around.
Then he withdrew into the shadows and stayed there.
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Tufted Titmouses were everywhere in the forest around the lake today. My peripheral vision was filled with flickering movement as these active little birds zipped around.
They moved around so quickly I struggled to get any good photographs. This is the best I could catch, so I’m pretty proud of it.
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
As usual, Mallards were well-represented at the lake today.
This male and female pair swam through calm water a few feet from me. The light reflected so beautifully off the water and the male Mallard’s gleaming emerald head that I had to take their photograph.
Thank goodness for digital photography. Without digital storage, my living space would be filled top to bottom with Mallard photographs.
Green-winged Teal
Anas carolinensis
Today, I was lucky enough to both spot and approach this resident pair of Green-winged Teals.
I was delighted to notice that the female displayed part of her bright green wings while she floated on the water.
In my experience, the females’ drab, brown and tan wing feathers usually cover their brilliant green speculums when their wings are folded.
So, I consider it a win that I caught a glimpse of the beautiful green wing feathers that give this species its common name.
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Northern Cardinals are quite common in my area, but—for me—that never translates to “boring”.
I love the bright, vibrant, eye-catching scarlet of male Cardinals but I also love the much more subtle colors of Cardinal females.
This female darted out and perched on a bare branch quite close to me. The light was soft and she posed so prettily, I had to take her photograph.
It would have seemed rude not to.
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Sitta pusilla
Brown-headed Nuthatches are tiny little birds that flit around my area almost constantly.
But, as with many small songbirds, I find them rather hard to photograph because they hardly ever stand still.
They dart, spiral, and flit up and down tree trunks almost constantly on their hunts for food. They fly very fast and are so small that I’ve yet to successfully catch one in flight.
So, I appreciate very photograph I can get of these charming little birds.
Pond Turtle
Family Emydidae
The emergence of pond turtles is one of the first and most reliable signs of spring in my area.
Several different species are classified in the Pond Turtle family Emydidae, but identifying individual turtles to species by sight can be difficult. Several of the pond turtle species look similar to each other. Plus, identifying marks on individual turtles’ shells that would otherwise hint at species are often obscured by algae and age.
But the importance of today’s pond turtle is that I saw it at all. After months of invisibility underwater, this elder reptile woke up, dug itself out of the mud, and climbed up on this log to bask.
Spring is surely on its way.
Today’s Nature Journal Snapshot
|
Time of Day |
Early afternoon |
|
Setting |
Large lake |
|
Temperature |
60° F / 16° C |
|
Weather |
Mostly sunny |
|
Humidity |
25% |
