Great Blue Heron finally catches a big gopher

[@glenmiles6279]

The heron asked ‘should i eat this? i replied,’you gopher it’.

[@kmac6893]

😂

[@mrtr0ya237]

I can't stop laughing. That was so original, amazing thought !!

[@Manjot609]

God damn it, take my like!

[@tonystevenson5125]

The Heron looks a bit Thin. Good to see that it picked up a good sized meal. Also looks like it’s recovering

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah I thought so too and I saw it struggle a lot but it had good luck lately

[@thebabbler8867]

It's an older bird. You can tell by the ruffled breast feathers.

[@bartonpercival3216]

I use to live on a lake/lagoon in So Florida and I'd always loved watching the blue herons catching fish and snakes from my back yard

[@zbaker0617]

Same, sunrise. They ate all the baby ducks too tho 😢.

[@bartonpercival3216]

@zbaker0617 Yeah I know. I lived in Pembroke Pines and I saw that too!!!!! 😱

[@p47koji]

That was a big gopher indeed. Glad the GBH managed to recover from her injury.

[@WeltSchmerz1349]

Amazing heron! 🤗😍 I wish this long-legged girl good luck and good hunting (and lots of appetizing gophers...)

[@johnraygun9868]

awww the creek, natures dipping sauce

[@briancarey1159]

In case anyone doesn't know. The reason the heron half swallows its meal, especially bigger meals. And waits for a few minutes between gulps is that herons throats aren't that big. That heron swallow alittle and waits because the heron is allowing time for his throat to expand to accommodate its larger meal.

[@Turbo4Joe363]

I've seen something similar in 'certain' movies on the internet....lol

[@SignalCorps1]

Carl, the Assistant Head Greenskeeper, could have put this Blue Heron to good use.

[@OfficialNegligence]

I like to do early morning rows in a 26’ single sculler. My river route takes me past a lot of Great Blue Herons perched on trees or standing on the shoreline. Every time I went past one of these birds I got the sense they were asking themselves “can I eat it?” Happy they aren’t any bigger or I would have to stop rowing.

[@noeld1748]

"Always wash your food before eating" Mama Heron

[@dantebernardino]

Great catch..timing and patience.. Sorry for the gopher

[@limyrob1383]

In size terms that's like me eating the neighbours dog whole😂

[@pauloldham4605]

Can you imagine the fur you would poop out lol

[@no.1spectator39]

Damn.. broke the backbone with one Stroke

[@elevate32767]

I'm not sure. The back feet were still kicking. If the spine was severed it wouldn't be doing that. But then what caused the gopher to die? Heart attack from stress?

[@GerXMaT]

@@elevate32767yes, heart attack

[@BirdSongsFromAroundTheWorld]

Wow. Amazing catch and video

[@jimzenor9148]

Thanks. It was quite dark, just a bit of predawn light, but my camera handled it better than I expected.

[@WanderingSoleTV]

Wow, incredible footage!!

[@jimzenor9148]

Thanks. The lighting was challenging but it did make the colors stand out.

[@NYCknight2025]

Water = Nature’s Dipping Sauce

[@remyogun8270]

Dumb comment

[@SamJoshua-p9r]

Bruh... XD

[@j.kimmer1509]

That Gopher never finished digging his home. That initial beak stab must of been very effective, Mr Gopher did his last poop and released his ghost in under a minute. ... I hated gophers as a kid when they destroyed my yard and dad had me try to flush them out but for the first time i truly feel bad for him.

[@BumfightkrewAmerica]

Kudos to camera man for not making a sound of excitement. Staying focused on capturing the moment.

[@idrist5538]

Ahh yes the dreaded flying cobra back to severing gopher spines after doing rehab🤙🏽 Fish: Why does this water taste like dead gopher?

[@michaelh1889]

Good lord.... Bon appetit girlfriend !! 👍

[@adversereactor2253]

That's like eating the whole pack of sausages all at once.

[@NeoGhk]

Always soak your food in water before swallowing. That can be a good advice for Herons and old people.

[@akhil100]

Once I swallowed a boiled egg. It was challenging. I am sure the heron also experienced similar predicament.

[@jimzenor9148]

Wow that’s amazing if not a quail egg

[@catpoke9557]

I swallowed a grape once and even that was hard

[@Apachetipie.]

Ce rat musqué est complètement "barge " il voit bien qu'en face de lui, il y a un prédateur😂

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah their vision is OK for seeing movement but they wouldn’t see Freddie Kruger standing right in front of them.

[@fuzz668]

I need one of these guys on my farm! Gophers can be mean.

[@mephatboi]

Lol

[@tonystevenson5125]

On a farm, you’ll probably need a few!🙂

[@paulmorris9605]

mean how ?

[@fuzz668]

@@paulmorris9605 not only do they destroy/uproot all my crops from underneath, when I see them and try to shoo them away, they chase me and try to bite me.

[@paulmorris9605]

@@fuzz668 faie enough blitz those critters

[@chateaupig826]

Geez , gophers must be quite thick if they can't recognize danger at that close range

[@jimzenor9148]

Yes if the heron remains still, I don’t think a gopher can see it at all. I have seen this same heron strike at gophers at point blank range and the gophers were too quick. They can be very fast at moving backwards.

[@houseofno]

Gopher, those teeth can be seen from space. Oops, heron found you first. No spacecraft needed.

[@maryc.dalton1284]

I’m amazed she could fly after eating that.

[@rg2romanceworks871]

She dips the carcass in water just prior to the swallow so that the wet body goes down easier. That's my theory. What's yours?

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah I agree 100%

[@NYCknight2025]

Dipping sauce

[@universal3024]

For it to slide down easier ..

[@AngryToasterOven]

Thank god I'm 6-foot and 180lbs. Imagine living in a world with 20-foot birds strutting around.

[@willldo4]

I'm 7'3, 400 pounds, so pretty much nobody messes with me.

[@safeysmith6720]

@@willldo4If it were a big enough dinosaur, you’d be an extra filling meal and nothing more.

[@philipcallicoat3147]

Don't know where they filmed the clip.... However, I used to live in the Monterey Bay area in Central coastal Ca.... Used to watch the big herons hunt for gophers in the park in Santa Cruz.....

[@kathyaris9214]

Great video, good job Mr birdie!!!!

[@GerXMaT]

interesting, these little animals get heart attacks quickly

[@jimzenor9148]

This was kind of an unusual one. I watched it in slow motion and the heron actually does strike it pretty hard in the back with her super sharp bill. I suspect she got a lung. I haven’t seen too many go that easily.

[@ghenkhoash2440]

The gopher died very fast. I think she stabbed the heart.

[@seanscanlon9067]

Looked like it fainted out of fright!

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah that’s what I said to my brother. He thought maybe it broke its back.

[@meggi8048]

yea i noticed this too. really wonder what killed it?

[@No-xq5oh]

if it stabbed the heart directly, it would die immediately.

[@ghenkhoash2440]

@@No-xq5oh No, stabbing the heart won't kill immediately. The brain will survive for few seconds. That's exactly what's happening here. The Gopher is moving and fighting for a short time and suddenly stopped moving.

[@jjohnson5014]

That swallow was a struggle

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah it was. I struggle with my vitamin pill and that gopher was like thousands of pills

[@nemeanlioness]

@@jimzenor9148 try juice instead of water.

[@meggi8048]

@@jimzenor9148 just eat something normal, and put the pill in your mouth with the rest , you can swallot then just the food with the pill in one go. wont notice its even there.

[@LuciusSicarius]

I would feel bad for the gophers if they weren't actively destroying my yard.

[@mistersmith3986]

Nothing like a little lake water to help dinner slide down 👍

[@monos70]

So the gopher died from a heart attack instead of the heron's bite?

[@jimzenor9148]

I think she got it a little deeper than it appeared but I see your point. It almost looked like she scared it to death

[@plantbasedfreedom]

I was confused but I rewatched and the beak goes in deep on the first strike then slips out while carrying. Fatal stab!

[@deanyoung9214]

Just imagine having trained Herons for rent. You would put exterminators out of business

[@lisab8836]

Awesome video 💕

[@jimzenor9148]

Thanks

[@lisab8836]

Welcome 😊

[@dabwildlife4423]

Heartbreaking.. but stunning video

[@jimzenor9148]

This particular heron died about a month later. It was my favorite heron and really by far my favorite wild animal so for me it kind of breaks my heart a bit just to watch her again. She had been struggling so I was happy she got a good meal. Anyway thanks.

[@philpalmer4877]

No mustard?

[@MarioGarcia-qu6tw]

It seems as if her limp has been cured once and for all.😂😂

[@gumjuicee6746]

Poor little buddy was building his little home 😂

[@mastery7901]

How did that Gopher even die? I dont think the beak pierced its skin?

[@jimzenor9148]

Her beak is super sharp but I agree that did seem pretty shallow to kill that gopher. I think she must have hit a vital organ.

[@trafyknits9222]

As the Hall and Oates song says: "I Can't Gopher That"

[@jimzenor9148]

That’s funny. I might have to use that one for a future video title.

[@e.m.5499]

That's gonna take a few days to digest. Probably won't need a meal for weeks.

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah you’d think but I have been amazed at how much these guys can eat.

[@murphyr31]

She is a stunning lady.

[@herbrothersoutdoors501]

Awesome footage!! What camera are you using?

[@jimzenor9148]

I have a Canon R6 and my lens is a Canon EF 400 mm DO

[@roebuckrowhammer3889]

Talk about being, “stabbed in the back.”

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah if you’re a gopher, you better not turn your back on this bird

[@wolfster2287]

How did this little thing die? It seems like it stop moving five seconds after the Heron caught it. What is it a shock?

[@jimzenor9148]

Personally I think she stabbed it through the lungs or heart but it was very hard to be sure.

[@jonbreukel]

Were any gophers harmed during the production of this video???😅

[@jimzenor9148]

No Gophers were not harmed in this video. They were reclaimed biodegradable items properly recycled into heron flesh.

[@janoshorvath6676]

The background noises sound like an alien planet.

[@jimzenor9148]

This park is pretty close to the 605 Freeway and Wardlow Road so I end up getting background noises from that. I also sometimes hear gardeners, walkers, birds, and airplanes etc.

[@tien90802]

Did the gopher die? Did it get pierced by the Heron? Why does it dunk it in the water?

[@jimzenor9148]

This heron would soak the big ones before swallowing. They definitely went down better when wet.

[@randidmmm]

She has lovely eyes

[@JoeKnowsWorst]

how did that gopher actually die? it’s interesting to see sometimes, maybe it’s just the video edits but it looked like that gopher was dead almost immediately after it was in the heron’s mouth, without being poked a bunch with the beak, etc

[@jimzenor9148]

This was an unusual kill for this heron. This bird was very consistent about hitting their heads but in this instance I think her bill actually penetrated deeper than it seemed and hit the lung or heart. I’ve seen gophers struggling for many minutes at times and it did seem odd that this gophers died so quickly. This particular gopher was very memorable for me because I would wait for the heron on a bench about a half hour before sunrise and the heron would consistently walk out of the cattails and stand near me for about 5 minutes and then she would go gopher hunting. For about two weeks she would always go to this particular gopher mound first. It was a very large gopher. Anyway she finally got it and I was happy for her because she was recovering from a limp. I didn’t edit the video except stringing video clips together. The light was darker than it appears and my camera was struggling to maintain focus.

[@qidongxu7339]

I like owls and herons, eat the whole prey, not wasting anything. Unlike other birds of prey like hawks and eagles only eat meat

[@jimzenor9148]

I agree. Nose to tail gets all the nutrition and wastes nothing.

[@conceptualclarity]

Gopher is struggling and then without any further blows it suddenly and completely stops. I wondered if it decided to play dead but an online search says gophers don't play dead 🤔

[@jimzenor9148]

Usually it is really obvious but yeah this kill was unusual. I suspect that initial spear was deeper and deadlier than it appears. This heron was old and very expert.

[@f.s.7427]

Un bel digestivo e per oggi siamo a posto

[@ecbst6]

Damn, Nature! You scary!

[@marty389]

I am surprised there was very little struggle, did it kill the gopher by stabbing ? Seems very fast

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah I agree. This heron was usually very consistent at hitting behind the head. It may be the only time that I saw her strike mid back but it did seem effective and the gopher died quickly. I think she may have hit the heart

[@jimzenor9148]

@Un señor muy serio yeah you could be right. It was one of the strangest kills I’ve seen.

[@edwardhumphries8806]

Cut short at the end ,did it go down

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah the bird swallowed it. The video did show it so maybe some glitch happened when you viewed it. I just double checked and the bird did manage to wolf it down

[@userthe7622]

Was the heron soaked the gopher in water to make it easier to swallow?

[@jimzenor9148]

Yeah I think so. This heron usually brings the larger gophers to water and they definitely are easier to swallow wet. I’ve seen them catch a lot of gophers.

[@alikaraca163]

the strike was brutal

[@paulrodriguez5958]

Building a house one minute...digesting in a birds gut the next.

[@chateaupig826]

The stuff of life . Alive one minute , dead the next 😢 and there go all your plans ..

[@AAA-vu3dq]

Different species but same need to wash down our food with coffee, er, I mean, water

[@gerrysabron]

this is why you look both ways before you take off..

[@PapaBearWorldPeace]

She ate him like she was dunking an oreo

[@Ardanmuraigacor]

Saya menyukai video mu sahabat,,.....

[@nemesis9330]

What are you using to record this?

[@jimzenor9148]

@@nemesis9330 I used my Canon R6 and my Canon Ef 400 mm DO lens. I think it works very well for video if I get favorable lighting. In that case, the lighting was very low but my camera makes it look brighter. The color stands out more but the autofocus doesn’t work well in these conditions. That’s why the focus kept messing up. I have learned to use manual focus in these circumstances but the auto focus is generally better than my attempt to use manual even with their focus guides.

[@sultanacademy2339]

it is very difficult to eat it , very very near to death ,,,

[@manhngo4275]

it has a killing procedure. Then, going to the lake to take some water because of the dry food.

[@jimalford6359]

That’s a great video Thanks for sharing

[@roymontgomery7529]

the smartest gopher lives at bushwood country club, grounds keeper bill murray couldn't kill it!

[@jimzenor9148]

This is the heron I called Greta. I think that gopher on Caddyshack would be in real trouble if Greta starred in that film. But It might have been more like a Freddy Krueger film.

[@anonymike8280]

Yeah, I think if I weighed only six pounds, a good gopher would do it for me.

[@sharathchandra1210]

A real Christian bird, it washes its food, then says Grace "give me this day my daily supply of gopher or any other suitable swallowable lively peace of meat" and then gulps it down.

[@GazAce]

Talk about "heavy on the stomach"

[@thebabbler8867]

The heron knew what it was doing with that strike: snapped the gopher's back with one stab. What a precise assassination.

[@Interventor-xn5bs]

O esquilo se chamava petralhus novededus. A ave se chama Bolsonarus brasiliensis.

[@parrotworld3181]

Nice hunting

[@venkatachalaravi8414]

The world of survival...

[@jcsrst]

Everything is fair game in or near the water🤣

[@Blues40]

Amazing !

[@hanadsayid7081]

Why he takes to the water 💧?

[@jimzenor9148]

If the gopher is small the heron doesn’t need water but I think it is easier to swallow big gophers like that one after it is dunked in water.

[@johncalmerin6689]

Atleast he washes off his food

[@kirtinarzary1510]

backbone cracked

[@condor5635]

Wonder if they ever catch one and realize it’s too big. Like a smaller heron nope not gonna get that down the pipe!

[@jimzenor9148]

I videoed one once about a year ago and it took a half out and several tries. I haven’t seen one too big yet

[@condor5635]

@@jimzenor9148 - thanks! Most excellent video. Great work.

[@jimzenor9148]

@@condor5635 oops. That was supposed to say a half hour to swallow. It was so heavy the bird had to rest its head on ground several times. Thanks

[@alessandrorighi3379]

It's s killer..

[@makimare5942]

He seriously dies just by hanging in the air?

[@johncaccamo]

Well, that and the giant spear he took in the back.

[@lastcommodore9651]

So the gopher dies just from hanging like that, within one minute ..

[@jimzenor9148]

I’ve watched it in slow motion a couple days ago and I think she stabbed it pretty hard initially. I agree it’s hard to tell in this video because it’s really fast and I’m not sure

[@Liews]

还有自知之明…没十全把握就等着！😂

[@UkkfayOoyay-rd2jv]

I’m guessing that “flavor” is not a big consideration in wild animal meals.

[@treyarthurtv]

Bro the Gopher died of shock?!? What hap?!

[@andrewblack293]

Imagine.....he's gonna have to 💩 that out! 👀

[@jimzenor9148]

You sure don’t want your car under it when it happens.

[@andrewblack293]

@@jimzenor9148 right?

[@jrnumex9286]

wow, that back strike must have broken the spine as goph out in 15 sec

[@GerXMaT]

no, heart attack

[@koczisek]

sniper-bird

[@_its_just_mana_]

The Great Blue Heron locked on 1:30

[@santoslhalper6116]

Awesome!!

[@ceo-kienthucthanhcong]

Waooo ... để quay được cảnh này bạn phải tốn rất nhiều thời gian theo dõi. Cảm ơn bạn !

[@johnm.3279]

Queue the Caddyshack theme.