The Meanest Bird Alive

During our air boat nature tour Captain Darald called the heron the meanest bird alive because it can kill nearly anything it chooses to with one stab of its strong, sharp beak. We saw many blue herons hunting in the marsh on that trip. This one was standing on the wharf where the air boat docked:

Great Blue Heron

Normally very shy, the herons we encountered were obviously accustomed to people and would let us get quite close before flying away.

In the Florida Keys we encountered the Great White Heron. Majestic, beautiful and equally as vicious, according to locals. The islands of the outer keys (south of Marathon) that are reachable only by boat, and known as "The Backcountry", are a designated Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge. On our drive out to Key West we saw many white herons perched on the bridges along the way. There were also several that hung out at the dock in the Jolly Roger Travel Park, where we stayed. This one spent its day supervising the fish cleaning station on the dock:

Great White Heron

The great blue heron above looks a little under fed compared to this guy, And look at the eyes. Would you argue if it wanted your fish?