©Leslie Scopes Anderson
August 25, 2023
You Missed Me
- as seen by -
Leslie Scopes Anderson
On a photo safari to East Africa, my husband and I were driving with our guide early one evening through Masai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya. We caught sight of a grey heron (Ardea cinerea) wading in a small shallow pond in search of fish for dinner and moved our vehicle closer.
Suddenly, a hungry Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) shot up out of the quiet water narrowly missing the big bird. We weren’t quite set up with our cameras and were disappointed to have missed such an amazing shot.
But, as we continued to watch, the incident happened again. This time we were ready to capture the moment.
We wondered at this behavior. Apparently, while the heron was catching fish, it alerted the crocodile and was confident enough in its own quickness to risk the dangerous jaws. We watched until dusk, and the heron escaped every attempt by the crocodile. Nature continues to amaze.
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