Not a case of a heron using bait, but a couple of years ago I used to
regularly see a Striated Heron using floating debris or vegetation to extend
its feeding range into deeper water. It was in the Brisbane River between
Jindalee and Mt Ommaney where, when the tide is high, the river forms an
eddy. The first time I saw it I wondered how come the water was so shallow
that a Striated Heron could be walking around so far out from the bank. With
binoculars I then saw that it was actually sitting on a floating log and was
therefore able to hunt in water far deeper than its legs would allow. It was
a successful technique as on several occasions I saw it catch fish by diving
off its floating perch, which may have also acted as a fish attracting
device. The bird may still be there. The site can be accessed from the
riverside walk between Jindalee and Mt Ommaney, the eddy sets up just to the
south of the old quarried area below the board walk entrance at the Jindalee
end.
Regards Rex
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Carl Clifford
Sent: Monday, 21 August 2006 2:04 PM
To: Birds (E-mail)
Subject: Heron using bait for fishing
Dear All,
Being the commsumate intellectual that I am, I was watching
Australia's Funniest Home Videos last Saturday evening. I was
particularly interested in one clip which showed a Heron, rather like
a Striated, hunting off a wharf. I know that is not unusual, but this
bird was shown scavenging around the wharf for pieces of bread that
were laying around, and instead of eating the bread, taking it down
the wharf steps and dropping it in the water. When small fish swam up
to investigate the bread, the Heron quickly snatched a fish and hey
presto - one fish dinner! Has anyone seen birds using bait to attract
prey like this? The heron certainly looked as if this was a regular
part of its behaviour, not just a one off accident some one caught on
video. It was certainly the highlight of the evenings viewing, even
better than Dr Who!
Cheers,
Carl Clifford
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