I was on a footbridge over a waterway with a plan to capture a close-up of a Western Grebe. I had noticed a pattern in her evening feeding. She would float downstream to the bridge, diving along the way for tasty crustaceans, then fly back upstream for a repeat run at the buffet.
I had a few good shots and was waiting for the grebe’s next approach when I sensed activity behind me. I couldn’t believe what I saw. A Black-Crowned Night Heron held a live snake in his beak only a few feet from me. What surprised me was the heron’s appearance well before sunset. They typically hunt alone in the dark.