Fly Fishing Toronto
Why am I seeing a great blue heron in the middle of winter?
I live in very cold snowy Toronto Canada. I thought they all flew south for the winter?? Why are they here and what could they possinly eat in the winter? The ponds and rivers are mostly frozen over and if they are not I assume there would be still no fish, reptiles, or insects to feed on as they all hibernate?
Why do you ask every question multiple times? I already answered the question of your yesterday…..
The rivers and lakes certainly are not frozen solid, just on the top. Some species stay behind to take advantage of the lack of competition with other species who have migrated.
Most migratory birds migrate because their diet consists of insects, reptiles, fruits, and seeds………………all of which are not available during the winter up north.
Herons on the other hand prefer flesh………fish, the rare occasional rodent, snakes, baby turtles, crawfish, mollusks,etc. The lakes aren’t going to be 100% frozen 24/7. Somewhere and sometime the ice will grow thin allowing the heron to hunt for fish and other animals. Fish don’t freeze because they essentially have an “anti-freeze” in their blood.
Fly Fishing for Blue Gills in Toronto