GREAT BLUE HERON

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius) walking on top the Lily Pads in Lily Bay on Little Elkhart Lake.  It spent most of its time slowly stalking the edges of the pads looking for a snack.
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Big bird can stand as tall as 4 feet tall and eats mostly fish, amphibians and reptiles.  Often mistaken for a crane, you can tell the difference between them in flight; a heron folds its neck when flying; a crane holds its neck straight out with no bends.
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They are extremely shy birds and will spook at the slightest interruption.  Our locals call them "shy pokes" because of their spookiness and from them "poking" the water trying to catch fish, etc.