The Great Blue Heron: A Gopher's Nightmare
Рет қаралды 1,419,925
4 жыл бұрынA few of my favorite shots of great blue herons hunting gophers in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and Presidio. They do this mostly in the spring when they have chicks to feed. If you ever see a heron standing in the grass, take a few minutes to watch it patiently from a distance. It's well worth the wait when they finally catch one. My understanding is they listen and feel for vibrations and then home in on the gopher until they get a visual before going in for the kill.
@tomwebb3081 3 жыл бұрын
As a photographer I've spent a lot of time watching herons hunt, and eat. The more I watch them the more I'm grateful that we're too big for them to swallow.
@fast1nakus 3 жыл бұрын
Some 60mil. years ago our ancestors were as big as the gophers.
@pakde8002 3 жыл бұрын
No shit! That's nightmare material
@DB-rc9ln 3 жыл бұрын
Ugly Cactus Lol no.
@fast1nakus 3 жыл бұрын
@@DB-rc9ln lol yes
@BlackAceDeathRose 3 жыл бұрын
do they swallow the gophers alive or do they some how dispatch them before consuming them? because i could easily see them either dropping them from great heights, or just lancing them with their bill, but cant imagine them swallowing a live gopher without major issues.
@LoneWulff829 4 жыл бұрын
I could gopher a snack myself.
@Lee-sd1vx 3 жыл бұрын
maybe gopher two snacks?
@recon9223 3 жыл бұрын
Or you could gopher 3
@saturatedcranium 3 жыл бұрын
gopher 4, anyone?
@daroxstebern4514 3 жыл бұрын
@@saturatedcranium may be gopher 5
@josemanriquez4875 3 жыл бұрын
Maybe order a 6 pc?
@user-dd3mz3qy1v 3 жыл бұрын
*I Will Never Forget Those Eyes*
@spencer82rocks 3 жыл бұрын
Animals don’t blink like us specially when hunting can you imagine your lock on target then blink,and in their turf,killed or be killed every day not like “ oh I feel hungry let’s drive to mc Donald’s for some fries 🍟 “ we are the most spoiled 😣😣😣🤪
@urbancyber3603 3 жыл бұрын
@@spencer82rocks nope just the top dogs of the animal food chain we have the power to remove anything fro. This planet entirely if we choose to
@Riddem79 3 жыл бұрын
Lol
@jamesw5665 3 жыл бұрын
Those eyes really do remind me of a velociraptor or something like that.
@fgcp2964 3 жыл бұрын
@@urbancyber3603 tell that to a canetoad.
@mtownz6215 3 жыл бұрын
If it weren't for Heron's, Golden Gate Park will be over populated by gophers. They're digging up holes all over the park.
@owenpierson5881 3 жыл бұрын
Natural fishermen too keeping bait fish in check here in Michigan
@michaelleonetti8564 3 жыл бұрын
I've got a chipmunk problem on the east coast send them here
@owenpierson5881 3 жыл бұрын
Michael Leonetti lol
@maximillionroivas3893 3 жыл бұрын
Do heron's hunt/eat cats? My alley is full of strays that needs to be taken care of ASAP....
@edgebucketdraws3854 3 жыл бұрын
@@maximillionroivas3893 no, fortunately cats are too big. just call animal control
@pstuddy 3 жыл бұрын
Poor gophers, they're still living in a Jurassic world
@Lymbe06 3 жыл бұрын
Underrated.
@patricknelson 2 жыл бұрын
Birds _are_ dinosaurs after all, so it makes sense!
@Exodus20.7KJV 2 жыл бұрын
@@patricknelson Birds are birds, not dinos. Two separate kinds of animals. You've been duped!
@CJCroen1393 2 жыл бұрын
@Patrick Nelson Herons are so interesting because while they, like all birds, are dinosaurs, their hunting method more closely resembles that of the azhdarchid pterosaurs than anything else. Likely the dinosaur lineage refilling the empty niche their dearly departed cousins left behind.
@scottevens6274 3 жыл бұрын
I'd hear the gophers screaming in the morning during the herons breakfast time in the south SF bay. Nature is awesome!
@luciddreamz1446 3 жыл бұрын
Seeing this truly does make me believe Dinosaur evolved in to certain birds
@jamesobrian1643 3 жыл бұрын
It is cool
@michaelmcdonald1627 3 жыл бұрын
Yes, yes, Clarice, I bet you can still hear the crying of those little gophers you couldn't save. Can you?
@scottevens6274 3 жыл бұрын
@@michaelmcdonald1627 Nope. Team heron all the way!
@gonzaloarvietti4920 3 жыл бұрын
Is awesome hearing a massacre?
@ConsumerFanatics 3 жыл бұрын
I’m in SF and gophers have taken over my backyard. Time to get a pet heron.
@joselugo3685 3 жыл бұрын
Have you checked out rent a heron?
@ffadriala 3 жыл бұрын
@@joselugo3685 hope he does not confuse it with rent a heroin
@A96RangerPrerunner 3 жыл бұрын
Nice I’m right by the bay too, beach view
@mickcarson8504 3 жыл бұрын
What is SF?
@joselugo3685 3 жыл бұрын
@@mickcarson8504 San Francisco or South Famerica
@ae1ae2 4 жыл бұрын
Look out mammals -- dinosaurs walk among us.
@TrusttheY 4 жыл бұрын
But they don't.....
@bibleburner8426 4 жыл бұрын
@@TrusttheY Modern birds descended from therapod dinosaurs. Birds are modern day dinosaurs. www.nbcnews.com/id/28985201/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/nine-links-transition-dinosaurs-birds/#.XzB_MK-SlPY
@bignoob5838 4 жыл бұрын
@@TrusttheY yes they do
@goated-yt2370 3 жыл бұрын
Yusuf Baaghil crocodiles are dinosaurs you know?
@magalha1000 3 жыл бұрын
@@goated-yt2370 no, they aren't.
@spacekitt.n 3 жыл бұрын
herons are such glorious creatures, they seem like visitors from the dinosaur age more so than other birds
@rhondamadgirl Жыл бұрын
They really do look like dinosaurs! They way it was stalking made me think of those velociraptors in Jurassic Park.😮
@anatolijku7242 Жыл бұрын
да, ровесники динозавров. 150 млн лет инволюции. кроту 5 млн лет. они бывшие люди, деградировавшие. Теория Инволюции.
@thedogkin4572 3 жыл бұрын
God the heron's lifeless eyes are terrifying
@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess 2 жыл бұрын
When they move their heads to look around it's even more! It's like the raptors in Jurassic park looking for the victims
@talonflame_brawlstars.7208 Жыл бұрын
Exactly! The emotionless look birds have when taking down prey is just so eerie
@havinjlo09 3 жыл бұрын
They're just cutting down on their seafood intake. A conscious lifestyle choice to reduce intake of mercury. Damn these birds are smart 😂😂😂
@RikkiTikkiTavi290 3 жыл бұрын
Saw one of these guys eat a WHOLE box turtle in the Everglades once. Thought he would choke and die for sure but he he kept drinking water and eventually the turtle disappeared. One of the strangest things in nature I've ever seen, could see the shape of the turtle in his neck.
@justaninja1 3 жыл бұрын
Ok that like the most dramatic music on a nature piece I've ever heard...and perfect timing too. 👍
@jerryvalencia7733 3 жыл бұрын
😂lol 👊
@sunnysgadgetreviews5886 4 жыл бұрын
Dang! I was thinking they'd tear the gophers apart before eating but they swallowed them whole.
@ladabe4979 4 жыл бұрын
@James Merryman would it be possible for one of them to chew their way out after being swallowed if they were still alive?
@flygod. 4 жыл бұрын
@@ladabe4979 did you read it tho;-;
@alanb8884 3 жыл бұрын
@James Merryman Cold hard yet beautiful nature. Where's your messiah now, Flanders?
@exoressdelivers70 3 жыл бұрын
@@ladabe4979 The bird's throat is like a garden water hose. If you take a gopher and stuffed it into a garden water hose there is no way the gopher can even open its mouth while inside the water hose to chew its way out.
@ladabe4979 3 жыл бұрын
@James Merryman thank you Professor. It was a question I've always thought to myself as a child.
@calartian85 4 жыл бұрын
1:10 that eye is stone cold velociraptor.
@JustangGT500 3 жыл бұрын
Was literally thinking the same thing!
@claychaney5944 3 жыл бұрын
I've never seen a velocirapor
@sunsoutgunsout2046 3 жыл бұрын
How do you know? No one alive today has ever seen a velociraptor eye.
@Peterisheree 3 жыл бұрын
@@sunsoutgunsout2046 dude havent you seen the movies? they totally know what they look like!
@sunsoutgunsout2046 3 жыл бұрын
@@Peterisheree you got me there.
@privatebubba8876 4 жыл бұрын
That heron needed a break from it's constant fish diet.
@LHnative 3 жыл бұрын
Imagine being that gophers buddy just chillin underground together an the next thing you know a big ass beak crashes through ur ceiling an snatches him away 😳
@hotice8885 4 жыл бұрын
I have seen how aggressively these birds avoid humans, and how far away they keep themselves from us. You must have an _incredible_ lens, to get such great footage!
@motufunguabungsowi8349 3 жыл бұрын
Brilliant camerawork, editing and soundtrack choices and placement. A small masterpiece indeed.
@gerritstell6248 3 жыл бұрын
"The only good gopher, is a dead gopher". Bill Murray.
@muffintop420 3 жыл бұрын
Amazing how some animals have adapted to living in cities.
@oshimad 3 жыл бұрын
Cheers to whoever edited the music to synchronize when the heron attacked the gopher
@stephenjones6030 3 жыл бұрын
By far the best heron-eating-rodent video compilation I've seen.
@ToutCQJM 3 жыл бұрын
How is this “graphic”? This is just nature in its simplest form. Do people expect animals to hold hands and eat rainbow candy together?
@asdfghjklzxcvbnm6874 3 жыл бұрын
easy there tough guy
@picachufan2000 3 жыл бұрын
As a person who has grown up watching nature documentaries not that graphic especially since we didn't even hear the gophers screaming
@louielouiepks 3 жыл бұрын
Sweet Tarts
@plaguedr8831 3 жыл бұрын
They’re in California, so probably
@khabibmcgregor3592 3 жыл бұрын
Well you know how people these days are getting soft and get offended over anything easily... wait
@seanmchugh4813 4 жыл бұрын
Wow!!! Awesome and awesome video/production!! A good reason/reminder to NOT USE POISON!!! We don't want poison to kill these amazing and beneficial creatures that keep nature in balance as much as we screw it up! ☮️
@nrg16108 3 жыл бұрын
Still so many humans spray Roundup on their lawns & gardens. Foolish Sheeple!
@jeffreytilton4253 4 жыл бұрын
Can you rent one, the neighbors just hate it when you shoot at the lawn with a Mauser.
@MiGujack3 3 жыл бұрын
@Daver G Dunno man, grenades are also effective.
@MiGujack3 3 жыл бұрын
@Daver G compensate with more grenades until neighbors stop complaining.
@arnoldtm31 3 жыл бұрын
I use a .177 air rifle. Dirt cheap, safe and way too much fun.
@RikkiTikkiTavi290 3 жыл бұрын
@@arnoldtm31 .22 is better for gopher. They're tough little bastards. .177 has to be perfectly placed which is tough with a cheaper pellet gun
@leyrua 3 жыл бұрын
Just use a nuke. It solves your gopher problem, and your neighbors _won't_ complain about it.
@spec-ktrading5112 4 жыл бұрын
I need 3-4 of those birds in my yard PRONTO!!!
@drewm.3130 3 жыл бұрын
Omfg! Thank you sooo much for recording all of this and posting it.
@twmpuketa 4 жыл бұрын
Looks like theres a bunch of gophers running around with giant stab wounds from just missing being lunch
@SkypowerwithKarl 3 жыл бұрын
I’ve seen them fishing along the river but never knew what they were after on land. Now I do.
@aikeedohayyah2745 3 жыл бұрын
Imagine watching those eyes fade away as you slide down the tube of darkness.
@Sean-tn7xm 3 жыл бұрын
I see these all the time here in montreal i love to watch them hunt so cool
@jeffpaggett7274 3 жыл бұрын
When the apocalypse comes - I want an army of Heron's.
@TheMrBmurray 3 жыл бұрын
Looks like Bill Murray's problems in Caddyshack would have been solved if he got a heron.
@crazy4cockapoos 4 жыл бұрын
incredible footage, esp with the bridge in background. thanks for posting.
@deesnoots 4 жыл бұрын
They’re going deeper and deeper into the city! The wild is coming back to the cities and I kinda like it
@macross7k 4 жыл бұрын
My goodness...😧 It's amazing how they could digest them without even chewing before they swallow?
@alanb8884 3 жыл бұрын
Tough to chew with a beak.
@FriendlyMarmot 3 жыл бұрын
Makes me wonder, do herons make pellets out of undigested bones and fur, the same way owls do?
@shammydammy2610 3 жыл бұрын
@@FriendlyMarmot Yes. They do.
@PestilentAllosaurus 3 жыл бұрын
They do their best to break bone or paralyze their prey by crushing spine, etc before swallowing.
@HelenaMikas 2 жыл бұрын
they swallow a whole lot of duckling one after the other .Not so cool to watch .
@MMP583 3 жыл бұрын
Jesus...its like a bow and arrow. The neck tenses like drawing back the string, then strikes - the release of the arrow! Intense...😐
@odinsmeadhorn196 3 жыл бұрын
The sadist who put this gem together, wow.
@popeyepanther4519 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for a great video. Really nice quality and sound.
@edgy8481 4 жыл бұрын
Clever editing!
@Modernww2fare 4 жыл бұрын
They remind me of the raptors from Jurassic Park III
@aliceyang6122 Жыл бұрын
San Francisco heron hunting gophers is really rare, it is not easy to photograph herons hunting gophers, see the end, great video, great sharing! 👍👍👍
@kaz6916 4 жыл бұрын
That blank emotionless stare as it grips the frantically struggling gopher in its bill....the bird has neither the capability, nor the inclination, to empathize with mammalian distress. "I admire its purity. A survivor... Unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.”
@kaz6916 4 жыл бұрын
James Merryman I know, I’m just being unnecessarily melodramatic. I mean when you get right down to it, cats have very little variation in facial expression vs dogs or some other mammals - possibly related to their less social lifestyle. But I’ve always noted the particularly “alien” quality that some predatory birds have to them. The quote is from the movie “Alien” in fact.
@alanb8884 3 жыл бұрын
@James Merryman Thanks for the detailed info! Science!
@abiseniyya 4 жыл бұрын
I need 3 or 4 of these.. wait, my house doesn't have a lawn. Never mind.
@jeffwalker9122 3 жыл бұрын
Pocket gophers, also known as moles...very different from Prairie dogs, also called gophers. Pocket gophers live underground and leave mounds of soil everywhere up top.
@DDRUTOU 3 жыл бұрын
Man....the music made that intense!!!
@leftydiablo 3 жыл бұрын
Excellent camera work. Thank you.
@amihan99 4 жыл бұрын
Thanks youtube algorithms
@skyhiker9669 4 жыл бұрын
I rather enjoyed that. But then gophers are ruining my lawn, so...
@ELEKTROGOWK 3 жыл бұрын
great video 👍👍👍👍👍 great sound FX
@CJCroen1393 2 жыл бұрын
The precision of all those strikes is _freaking terrifying._
@GazAce 4 жыл бұрын
Umm remind me not to come back as a Gopher in San Fran
@colettelovers666 4 жыл бұрын
Holy S! I’m hungry
@pheonix6119 3 жыл бұрын
1:14 "You see this sh*t, camera man? _You're next._ "
@robertperez357 Ай бұрын
Usually I dislike music in nature films, this however is phenomenal for this video,perfect timing, kudos!BTW great videos !!
@basiliomcginte1840 3 жыл бұрын
0h my god nooo that little gopher arms and paws struggling to get away at 1:13. It was so adorable😭😭😭😭
@Renville80 2 жыл бұрын
It’s all fun and games until you twist your ankle on a hidden gopher hole.
@patron40silver 3 жыл бұрын
Sandy: "I want you to kill every gopher on the course!" Carl Spackler: "Check me if I'm wrong, Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers, they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key...
@KnifeinHand 3 жыл бұрын
"Its not my fault nobody can understand what your saying"
@ryguy5859 3 жыл бұрын
The gunshot and heartbeat sfx are priceless 😂
@desursins 3 жыл бұрын
this was a great video. thanks for doing it!!
@wolf1326 4 жыл бұрын
Heron looks at camera wanna see something cool kids
@Achemparathy 4 жыл бұрын
Now how do I get these birds in my backyard
@WohtotheMax 4 жыл бұрын
I think it's the same question as how do you get customers in your restaurant? You need good marketing and sales. Try hanging dead gophers on a stick
@makisekurisu8594 3 жыл бұрын
If you have a pond and add fishes you don’t care about they might come if you have herons in your area
@charlesdarwin6224 3 жыл бұрын
@@WohtotheMax dear God man
@brentlowry3078 3 жыл бұрын
My aunt loves the great blues because if there's ever a rat in the yard the great blue is going to find it
@PestilentAllosaurus 3 жыл бұрын
Plus they're so elegant to look at!
@PassiveLearner365 3 жыл бұрын
The sounds design was beautiful
@countalucard4226 4 жыл бұрын
Think the gopher was saying “please I have a wife and children”
@PestilentAllosaurus 3 жыл бұрын
Heron be like : *oh? Where might I ask?*
@johnbasedow8973 3 жыл бұрын
one of the only animals we dont feel bad for seeing getting eaten
@shin-ishikiri-no 2 жыл бұрын
Why?
@suchomimustenerensis5302 2 жыл бұрын
@@shin-ishikiri-no People don't care for gophers because they're considered pests. Digging holes in lawns in pastures, which can also be a tripping hazard for humans and livestock.
@LectronCircuits 3 жыл бұрын
Heron's take on the "Big Gulp" is awesome. Bon apetít. Cheers!
@Dave-pt2qd 3 жыл бұрын
Excellent editing and music! Great job 👍
@mehdijawn 3 жыл бұрын
Nobody wants to talk about the black top heron crisis is killing our gopher youth
@PrivateSmiles 3 жыл бұрын
The opioid crisis with claws and a beak.
@Plainsimple67 4 жыл бұрын
LOOKS LIKE NANCY PELOSI!!!😂😂
@EyEpOkEr1000 4 жыл бұрын
If Trump is a rat, then yes
@graphicsRat 3 жыл бұрын
Superb editing and sound. And the Oscar goes to ...
@mmatsuno415 4 жыл бұрын
Love it! Our back yard has a gopher condo complex.
@ckamina768 4 жыл бұрын
Dinosaurs man! Living, breathing dinosaurs!
@richardkev3077 3 жыл бұрын
I’ve watched them for years. Herons are brutal and merciless.
@BoogalooBoy 3 жыл бұрын
We have herons down here in North Carolina all the time, they seem pretty docile to humans.
@SueOber1770 4 жыл бұрын
where can I get one?
@joeblowjohnny2297 3 жыл бұрын
Wow ..... I NEVER realized how much Herons legs got so much in common with the old lady ? I called her sticks ! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@XxMcLuvinItxX 3 жыл бұрын
So what keeps the gophers from clawing and biting inside?
@agentoranges 3 жыл бұрын
Ruthless dinosaurs the at thing was wriggling for its life while herons like chomp chomp
@PestilentAllosaurus 3 жыл бұрын
Such graceful and amazing predators.
@jonchildress3355 4 жыл бұрын
I love these birds their very independent i like how they roll solo
@buffalobill4216 3 жыл бұрын
Great montage and music!
@alanb8884 3 жыл бұрын
I came for the nature, but stayed for James Merryman's reply comments!
@MrJacobGR 3 жыл бұрын
I noticed that the crest of their wings are bare in many cases. Is this a disease or parasite? or is that just how they are?
@stephendaly8025 3 жыл бұрын
I loved it, nice work!
@TheBlindSwordsman Жыл бұрын
Those drum patterns are intense😮😮😮
@jamcrx 3 жыл бұрын
Great edit and quality.
@CorekBleedingHollow 3 жыл бұрын
Outstanding video
@BatmanBoss 4 жыл бұрын
Magnificent video
@thatboydane 3 жыл бұрын
What is the name of the first piece of music from this video?
@LocoMe4u 3 жыл бұрын
Good video! Very good editing!
@tufftuff3061 3 жыл бұрын
Does anyone know where can I rent a couple of herons to save my garden?
@mohsin19999995 3 жыл бұрын
Damn nature, YOU SCARY
@organicnaturechannel 2 жыл бұрын
The sound effects 😂
@johnnylaw26 3 жыл бұрын
How many big rocks do these guys strike
@rivs-bn4ho 3 жыл бұрын
Beautiful and patient
@raphlvlogs271 3 жыл бұрын
really well made.
@fettuccine99 3 жыл бұрын
Thats some intense editing
@conked944 3 жыл бұрын
Is that the sound there hit marker makes?
@ShamusOGrady2 3 жыл бұрын
Man, this really took a turn
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