I walked out on the boardwalk in the saltwater marsh at Huntington Beach State Park early one morning and came across this yellow-crowned night heron. I had never seen one up close before, much less on the hunt. It was snagging crab after crab in the mud while the tide was out. It had eaten so many little crabs that I was sure it was full, but it would then go and grab another and then another.
In this picture, it has snared a small crab with its beak and flipped it up to move it back into its mouth.
Last modified: August 14, 2007