Today I photographed my first ‘Nova Scotian’ little blue heron. I have seen them in Florida and knew they on occasion migrated as far north as Nova Scotia, but actually observing one here, in my home province had eluded me. That changed today, not only did I get to observe one, I was able to photograph him for quite some time. At first, he wasn’t very active and as the sun began to set, I thought “Well he didn’t pose much, but at least I was close enough to get a few good shots.” No sooner had I thought that but he decided to do one last fishing strut through the little pond he had claimed as his own. Though the light was fast fading I was able to capture some beautiful shots as he carefully strode through the shallow waters catching a bedtime snack.

Little Blue Heron’s breed further south, primarily in the states of  Florida, Georgia, and the Carolina’s.  However; they also breed up the Atlantic coast as far north as Maine. Although Little Blue Herons winter in warmer climates, they do travel northward and can be found in the spring and summer as far north as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

They feed in a variety of freshwater and estuary environments, such as swamps, marshes, streams, rivers, ponds, shallow estuaries and tidal flats; prefering inland wetlands such as ponds and freshwater marshes to coastal areas. They hunt with slow, deliberate steps peering into the shallow water ahead of them and once a small fish is seen and they are positioned just right, then strike straightening their neck with a lightning-fast lunge.