Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: Birds / Quest

Majestic Flight, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (click on photo to enlarge)

>>:::<<
a splash of sky
rising out of the water
majestic heron
>>:::<<

A Great Blue Heron on a quest for dinner!

This photo was taken just over a week ago at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah, USA.  The Great Blue Heron is the largest of the herons in North America and is found throughout most of the continent.  They have been described as “graceful flyers with slow, steady, dignified wingbeats.”  They feed primarily on fish, insects, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and usually nest in trees or brushes near water’s edge.  They rarely venture away from bodies of water.  In Utah, they are a common breeding resident in the summer and nest in scattered colonies.  A few remain throughout the winter in areas of open water.

Note:  The website for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that the Bear River Bird Refuge is an oasis for water birds and “acclaimed as one of the world’s 10 best birding areas.” It provides habitat for more than 200 bird species.  It is definitely one of my favorite places to visit.

This photo is for the Wild Weekly Photo Challenge where we are encouraged to turn
our lens toward some feathery friends.  No one has to twist my arm to do that!
This is also for the “Tagged” letter challenge (letter “Q”) by Frizztext,
(“Q” is for Quest.)

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Linking up with:
CAMERA CRITTERS
BIRD D’POT
NATURE NOTES
TEXTURE TUESDAY (texture: let go)
TUESDAY MUSE
TUESDAY AROUND THE WORLD
WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY